The Ugly Truth Sequel of Hidden Truth
by MissAndre
Summary: Two years after Hidden Truth the members of the new Wolf Pack think life is perfect, but is it? Imprinting isn't magical and has its problems, how will they deal with the new controversies? Does imprinting really mean a happy ending?
1. The Wedding

**A/N:**_ Yay!!! The first chapter... The beginning of this story will be centralized more around Amelia and Kaleb, when Sophie grows up, it'll be around her and Luke. This chapter is really short but I just wanted to start the story smooth, and what better way than the wedding. Hopefully I'll be posting the first chapters really fast as I already wrote to chapter 7, but later I'll be only posting weekly, depending on how much it takes me... _

_Lastly I just wanted to thank all of you who always gave me support in Hidden Truth... hopefully you'll also give me support in this one... so now Enjoy!!!_

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or any of the characters, they belong to S. Meyer. I'm just borrowing them for mine and others entertainment. **

****This is a sequel, for the better understanding read first Hidden Truth...**

~*~*~*~*~

**Prologue**

His eyes kept looking at me, as if he could recognize me. I just stood there looking back, trying to find what exactly I was feeling. For certain it was something I had never felt before and I was scared. Scared that I had made the biggest mistake in my life, and that I was not only ruining my own life, but also the life of the only person who my heart belongs to.

I looked at the eyes of my imprint and she smiled weakly at me. At least she seemed happy, and that's all I needed to feel, a little comfort. But still I couldn't put aside the nagging feeling that I was the worst imprinter, for how careless and reckless I acted and for the big mistake I made. But was it a mistake?

**Chapter 1: The Wedding**

**Luke's POV**

Chaos!! That how I would describe my surroundings. If it wasn't for my heightened vision, I wouldn't be able to know what was happening in front of me. In one side Catlyn kept talking in a squeaky voice about how beautiful Ami was looking and comparing everything about the wedding with hers and Embry's, which took place two months before she gave birth to a baby boy named Élan, and all around the place was Alice, even though she's small as a pixie her wrath can be worse than a tornado. She was doing Ami's hair and makeup at the same time, while giving orders to someone on what to do through her cell phone.

"What do you think?" Ami asked me when Alice was finally finished. All that was left was to get her in the dress. I looked at her and couldn't help but remember when we were little and would stay in each other's house watching scary movies until very late, and now my Ami was glowing and a complete grown woman, as always Alice had done wonders. She had applied not that much makeup, only accentuating her green eyes and the hair was all waves cascading down her back with a few tiny white flowers placed here and there.

"You look beautiful as always." I said as I stood up from my chair, I went to her and gave her a small kiss on the cheek. When Ami told me she wanted me to be her 'man of honor', I didn't imagine that it would imply being with her in all the wedding's planning, including helping her find a dress, choosing the decorations, food and location. I told her countless of times to let Alice do everything, but she wanted a simple wedding which she would plan completely. All she left for Alice to do was watch that everything was being done and the last preparations, which were making her beautiful for her Kaleb.

"Thanks, you know for everything. I'm never going to be able to repay you for always being at my side." Ami said standing up and looking again at her reflection in the mirror. Her eyes were glistening, but were huge with excitement. "I still can't believe I'm getting married today."

"Well you aren't if you don't start getting in that dress now." Alice said in high pitched voice. She then faced me. "And you need to start getting ready, unless you're planning on being next to Amelia wearing that."

I laughed at how baffled Alice was looking. I was only wearing my tattered shorts, as earlier I did a few laps around the Rez with Thomas, just to make sure nothing unwanted was lurking around. It has been two years since the battle, and nothing big has happened, except for once in a while Emma would have a fight with Seth, making us get involve so she didn't do anything reckless. They're relationship was unique, one moment they would be fighting, the next they would be kissing passionately, making all the wolfs nauseous. Since she moved to the Rez, only two more kids have phased, Jayson, who's Collin's 13 years old son and Mathias, who's sixteen and not a son of any of the old pack members. He's very quiet, only keeps to himself and very smart. I didn't at first recognize him from school as he was always at the library buried in a book. Apparently his father is a distant cousin of Jared, making him have the shape shifter gene.

Leah has been scared that her son was going to change, but she was leaving it all to fate. Mekhan was now nine years old and looked a lot like Leah, except that his caramel eyes were the same as his father. Leah moved to the Rez two months after the New Year's party and six months later gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, whom she named Abigail. She and Sophie became good friends over these years, as either Claire left Sophie with Leah as babysitter or the other way around.

I left Ami's room as Alice started to get the dress off the plastic, and went to Seth's room where he was getting ready. "Hey, did Ami finally let you go?" Seth said with a lot of amusement. Over this past three weeks, Ami has been dragging me up and down to make the last preparations for the wedding. Even though she never said it out loud, I knew she was spending as much time with me to appreciate her last days as an individual with her best friend.

"No, Alice threw me out telling me I needed to get ready." I said as I went to the bed were Alice had put my clothes earlier. It was a common black tux, with black tie, as Thomas, Paul and Seth would also wear, Kaleb was wearing a white tux. Thomas was Kaleb's best man, I guess that him being the third to phase intensified their friendship, also their parents were still inseparable. "Where's Emma?"

"The Cullens arrived and she's with them at the beach, making the last arrangements." Seth said as he did his bowtie while looking in the mirror. The wedding was taking place at the beach, specifically in the spot were Ami and Kaleb talked truly for the first time, Kaleb's favorite spot.

I went to the bathroom to take a quick bath, and after I finished I got dressed, Seth helping me with the bowtie. I couldn't wait to get to the beach and start the wedding, my Sophie was the flower girl and I hadn't seen her all day. Alice's voice brought me out of my thinking of Sophie as she called me. I went to Ami's room and gasped, she was gorgeous all in white. The dress was simple, lose to the body with a three rows of white flowers surrounding the bottom.

"I'm so proud of you Ami." I said as it was the only thing I thought of. Seth also came into the room behind me and after looking at his daughter for a while, approached her and gave her a huge hug. I could see that tears were wanting to spill, but as a man he held them back.

"These have been the happiest two years of my life, and today I'm handing you to another man." He said with a lot of sadness. It must be hard to find out you have a daughter and only have her in your house for a short time. Ami hugged Seth back, and tears started to pour from her eyes. Alice was fussing that she was ruining her makeup, but let them appreciate this time together.

After all of us were ready, we headed to the beach. I was in the car with Seth while Ami was with Alice and Catlyn in Alice's car. When we arrived the place was full. Ami wanted everything to be simple, almost at the shore stood a small table, which represented the altar. White chairs were placed beneath a gazebo that was draped with white fabrics, and the aisle was spread with flowers in the sand.

I took my place near the altar, while Seth waited in the back for Ami. Kaleb looked at me and I could feel how anxious he was. Thomas was grinning and bouncing in the balls of his feet. Only minutes passed as everyone sat and waited for Ami to appear. Kaleb kept looking at the end of the aisle, waiting for his love to come to him. I remembered the day Ami told me she was officially engaged, I was mad and thought she was making a big mistake, even if they had imprinted. I was still mad at Kaleb for hurting Catlyn, even though I didn't have feelings for her and she was pregnant, her friendship was very valuable to me. But seeing how much he had changed in these years, and how he made my Ami so happy, changed my hard feelings towards him. And now I was feeling extremely happy, knowing that Ami was getting her happy ending. In that moment I wished, in a future, it would be me in Kaleb's position, waiting for my soul mate to walk down the aisle, but it was a very distant future that I was watching through a blurry window.

My thoughts were interrupted when soft music started, announcing that the wedding was starting. Everyone looked back and my heart swelled when I saw my Princess Sophie walking and throwing red petals to the ground. She was in a simple white dress, much like a ballerina's, and her dark brown hair was up in a bun. Everyone said that she looked a lot like Claire, but I said otherwise. As she grew I would spend countless of hours just staring at her and memorizing her features. She got the dark hair color as Claire, but it was strait as Quil's. Her round face, and big eyes were of Quil, but her smile was all Claire even though the dimples belonged to her father.

When she walked the entire aisle, she ran to me. Releasing the flower basket, she raised her arms so I could pick her up. "Lukey, up!!" She said in her small voice and I heard a few people chuckling as I picked her up. In that moment I saw Ami step in the aisle, led by Seth. He was holding back tears as he walked her to Kaleb. Everyone gasped as they took in her beauty, her eyes never leaving Kaleb's figure, he was doing the same. I could feel his heartbeat accelerate as his love neared him and his body was inching forward, like trying to close the space between them.

Finally she came in front of Kaleb, Seth with a small smile placed her hands in Kaleb's and left after giving her a small kiss in the forehead. As soon as Seth stepped back, Kaleb and Ami faced each other, huge smiles spread on their faces. They decided to have a traditional wedding in which they exchanged vows of love and rings. The ceremony was performed by a minister of Forks and he kept it brief.

"Friends, we have been invited here today to share with Kaleb and Amelia a very important moment in their lives. In the years they have been together, their love and understanding of each other has grown and matured, and now they have decided to live their lives together as husband and wife." The minister started to say. I could tell that both Ami and Kaleb were too lost in each other to pay much attention to what the man was saying. After a few more words of tradition, they both said their vows.

"Let this ring be a symbol of my promises to you and a reminder of my devotion to you. I am honored to call you my wife." Kaleb repeated after the minister while putting the delicate band in Ami's left hand. Ami said the same thing and place the ring I gave her in Kaleb's finger. Both their hearts were hammering and I could literally taste their excitement.

"By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss each other." Before the minister was over, Ami jumped at Kaleb and kissed him fiercely, only to be responded by Kaleb picking her up and intensifying the kiss.

"They're kissing" Sophie was giggling in my arms. She was trying to cover her eyes with her small hands with no avail. Some of the guests were whistling and whooping, especially the guys from the pack and very loudly, Emmet Cullen. I saw in the very back, almost in shadow, Taylor. I heard that he didn't want to come to the wedding, but Jacob made him. They were still living in Paris, but Jake wouldn't miss his nephew's wedding for nothing. He was looking grim and as he walked out of the gazebo, I saw his figure shaking slightly. Poor kid, even though before he left he said he was okay with Ami's decision, obviously he was still hurting badly.

The reception area was placed a little away from where the wedding took place. The gazebo was the same structure, only it was bigger so the tables would fit and it was illuminated by lamps that resembled stars as the night was coming. To get there was a path illuminated with torches, making everything look out of this world.

After everyone was settled, I sat in the big table with Sophie in my lap, she refused to leave my side when Claire came for her. In the table apart from Kaleb and Ami in the middle, were Paul, Rachel, Seth and Emma. Thomas wasn't sitting with us as he preferred to sit with Andy and the other wolf pack members. I looked around and noticed that Taylor was nowhere to be seen, he was probably in wolf form running as far as he could.

After we ate, Kaleb and Ami made their way to the first dance. The whole reception blurred around me as I looked at my Sophie and saw her looking at me back. Her eyes were a little droopy, but they held mine strongly. We stayed looking at each other until her body took over and she fell asleep in my arms. I leaned down and placed a little kiss in her head, inhaling her wonderful scent, roses with a tinge of cinnamon. As I looked at how happy Amelia and Kaleb were, my heart constricted and I vowed to myself to give everything to Sophie no matter the cost or what she would give me in return, because I didn't care as long as she was in my life.

~*~

**A/N:** One last thing, I added pics of the wedding and some of the new characters that will appear in this story in my Webs page... link: **http://missandre27(dot)webs(dot)com/apps/photos/album?albumid=7358991**, or head to my profile and click on homepage. Also see the character's profiles in The Ugly Truth section... Enjoy!!


	2. Baby Talk

**Chapter 2: Baby Talk**

**Amelia's POV**

It was almost time for me and Kaleb to leave for our honeymoon, but I didn't want to leave the comfort of his arms as we danced to a slow song. "I love you Mrs. Early." He whispered in my ear making me forget about everything that was happening around us. In that moment it was only me and him in the dance floor, all the voices around us disappeared as I marveled at the words he just said to me.

"I love you too." I responded and kissed him softly. We continued to sway and kiss until the song was done, that's when Alice came and took me from his arms saying that I needed to change before leaving. We were spending our honeymoon in Hawaii. Rebecca, Kaleb's aunt, lend us a small private cabin so we could have a nice time all by ourselves. Thinking of that time alone, made me change into my traveling outfit in a rush. Alice has picked for me a light blue dress that reached my knees and was loose to the body, making it very comfortable. I took all the pins and flowers off my hair and tied it in a messy ponytail. Lastly I put on some light sandals and literally ran to the reception area where Kaleb was waiting for me in khaki shorts and a white cotton shirt.

"Ready?" He asked me as I jumped in his arms and gave him a quick kiss. He laughed at my eagerness and returned the affection.

"Yep, can't wait to be completely alone and do things we wouldn't be able to do over here." I said with a purred in his ear. A grumble came from deep inside him as he took in what I was saying. His hands went up my back and he pulled me so I was completely wrapped in his body. I let out a squeak when he grabbed my earlobe and bit it a little. Usually our parents let us alone most of the time and gave us privacy, but we always had in mind that they were around, making our alone moments restricted. Also lately our alone time has decrease in time since we graduated. With Kaleb working full time in a garage in Fork, me taking classes to become a language teacher in a community college in Port Angeles and on top of all that doing nightly patrols, we barely had time for ourselves.

"Come on, you two need to say goodbye to your guests and get on the road, unless you want to miss your flight." Again Alice interrupted us, making us both growl at her. She only rolled her eyes and started pulling us to the entrance of the gazebo were a car was waiting for us. "You can take Edward's car, he'll pick it up later at the airport. The bags are already in the trunk, as well as your personal documents and plane tickets."

"Thanks a lot Alice for everything." I said giving her a hug. Over the past years I've been resisting the urge to attack any of the Cullens, and right in that moment it still bothered me to be so close to a vamp, but I refused to let my body react to it.

"No problem, I really like you and you let me buy you clothes, what else can I ask for?" She said with a huge smile. After she released me, a lot of people were already waiting to say goodbye to the two of us. From warm hugs to cold ones, almost everyone said their goodbyes and good lucks, the ones left for last were Luke and Dad. Luke was carrying a sleeping Sophie and I could see he didn't want to say goodbye. We were leaving for almost a month and that would be the longest we'd be apart.

"So, have a good trip and enjoy your time there. Well you are definitely going to enjoy it, if you know what I mean." He said raising an eyebrow. I laughed out loud and punched him playfully in the arm before giving him a hug, not so tight as Sophie was in between. I could see from behind him Rachel hugging Kaleb while Paul was telling her to let go. Next to them was dad, watching me with red eyes, his lips were quivering.

"Pay dad visits, please and look after him." I said as I let him go. He nodded and moved aside so I could go to dad.

We looked at each other for a while before he closed the space between us and gave me one of his warm fatherly hugs. "Even if it's only a month I'm going to miss you a lot." He said between sobs, I myself was starting to cry. "And when you come back the house is going to be completely ready, okay?" Kaleb had been able to acquire a small house in the outskirt of the reservation, but it wasn't in good condition, so he has been working on it with dad and Paul, even the others would help sometime. Kaleb's salary in the local garage in Forks wasn't that much to afford a better place, but we were happy with what we've got. These last week they have been doing the last touches of the renovation, but haven't let me see them as its all part of my wedding gift and they wanted to make it a surprise.

"Dad I love you and as soon as we get there I'll call you." I said drying his face. "And if anything big happens don't hesitate to call me, okay?" He nodded but didn't speak, as if he was scared of starting to cry again. As Kaleb and I were leaving, I was giving him the charge of leader and Thomas would be his second. After a year of him and Embry being in our pack, I gave dad the position of second as he had more experience than Kaleb and seemed the right thing to do. Kaleb didn't mind and I showed to Thomas that I was doing everything possible to put the pack ahead of my imprint and not make the same mistakes twice.

"Okay, have a good trip and I'll take care of everything." He reassured me by placing a light kiss on my head. Emma came to his side and grabbed his hand, she gave me a small smile and wished me good luck. My relationship with her wasn't as tense as when I met her, but we still had a lot of differences that kept getting in the way of completely bonding. Even though she never said it out loud, I could always see in her eyes the jealousy, she was scared that I would take Seth away from her. Now that I got married and was going to move away, she was acting a little more loosely and trusting, but there was always going to be the doubt. Her bad temper was always going to clash with my over protectiveness of being an alpha.

As Kaleb and I headed out the gazebo and into the car, a scent hit me. I turned around and saw in the shadows a very familiar face, Taylor. Earlier I had asked Jacob and Nessie where was he, and they told me he went away when the wedding was over. He was looking at me intently, but didn't move or made a sign that he wanted to talk. "Kaleb wait, I have to talk to someone first." Kaleb looked to the shadows and saw Taylor, he nodded at me and started to get in the car. I knew that he was still having tough thoughts about Taylor, but he decided not to show them to me as I didn't like them. I never wanted anything romantic with Taylor, but it hurts a lot that I couldn't even have him as a close friend. Since they left to Paris, I've been in contact with Jacob and he tells me that Taylor was passing through a very tough time, which made me feel guilty even though everyone keeps telling me it's not my fault.

I stood in front of Taylor in an awkward silence, I could feel Kaleb looking at us from inside the car and it wasn't making me feel any comfortable. "Where you planning on not talking to me after being away for two years?" I finally found my voice. He was looking intently in my eyes, I could see so many emotions swirling in his light brown eyes but I couldn't identify them.

"I didn't want to be a bother…" His voice was barely a whisper, I had to restraint my hearing to make out what he was saying.

"Why do you think you'll be a bother?" I took a step closer to him, so by stretching my arm I could touch him.

"I was at the wedding and saw you so happy that I didn't want to ruin it with my broken attitude. I didn't know if I could control myself by being close to you." I didn't know what to say, so we stayed in silence for a while. Suddenly he closed the space between us and wrapped me in his arms. He had grown more, now the same stature and build as his father, just as Jacob had said he will one day be an alpha. "I thought that being away was going to make me forget or put aside all the feelings, but its worse. Every time I close my eyes, I see your face and when I dream is about you. I didn't come to the reception because it's killing me inside to see you so happy with him and I didn't want to do something stupid. I still love you and I always will." He was whispering in my ear. His sobs were shaking my whole body, I could feel more than Kaleb's stare on us, but I didn't dare look at the entrance of the gazebo.

"I wish I could tell you something that would give you comfort, but I can't." I said with a lot of desperation.

"Don't worry, I'll try to be fine, and I'm sorry for coming like this, I just couldn't leave again without seeing you." He caressed my face gently, leaving goosebumps behind. I wanted to hug him again and make him feel loved, but that wasn't the right thing to do, so all I did was stare at his sad face and at his hand that was still on my cheek. "You should go, your husband is waiting for you."

"Yeah we have a plane to catch." I turned around and only gave a few paces and faced him again. "You have grown a lot, and I'm not talking physically. You have become a man in such a short time and I blame myself for that. You're a sixteen year old boy trapped in an adult's mind and body and that's not fair. Please do me a favor, live your life to the fullest and only worry about what's ahead of you. I'm not worth to ruin your life, so please for me forget and move on." I didn't want to disappear completely from his life, but it was the right thing to do.

He looked at me and I finally saw in his eyes that he would do anything for me, even if it meant letting go of the thing that you love more in life. I took a deep breath, gave my back to him once again and started to walk to the car. I knew that it wasn't going to be easy for him to let me go, but he was going to do everything possible to acquire it. I glanced at the entrance of the reception area, everyone was already drifting inside. Only remained Nessie and Jacob, she was looking at me with such sadness, but she knew I couldn't do anything about her son, as long as Kaleb existed in my life, I would only belong to him and if he didn't, I wouldn't have a life.

~*~

As we landed in the international airport in Hawaii, after a four hour flight, I was very exhausted but at the same time couldn't wait to be completely alone with my husband. I loved how that word resounded in my head. We took our luggage and went outside to grab a taxi, I could see that the sun was already coming out. I called dad and let him know we were fine, I hung up fast as Kaleb had stopped a cab and was walking towards it. Once inside the car, Kaleb gave the driver the directions Rebecca gave us, I leaned in Kaleb's shoulder and drifted to sleep as soon as the car started to move. It was an hour and a half drive to our destination, enough time to gain some energy. In our way to the airport and all the flight here, I couldn't stop thinking about if I made the right decision in letting Taylor go. Kaleb knew what I was thinking about, but didn't give me his opinion, which I appreciated a lot.

"Baby, wake up. We're here." Kaleb's beautiful voice whispered in my ear, followed by a tender kiss. I opened my eyes and after blinking a few times got out of the car. As I stretched, Kaleb got out our luggage and paid the taxi driver. "What do you think?" He asked me as the car pulled away, he encircled his arms on my waist and looked with me to our little private place that would be the center of our honeymoon.

The sun was already completely out, making everything look too bright, I was already missing the unending cloudiness of La Push. The cabin was small, but it held a sense of comfort and coziness. It was wooden, light yellow and surrounded by vegetation, but I could hear very close the coming and going of the waves. Kaleb grabbed both our suitcases in one hand and with the other lifted me, swinging me to his shoulder. "Kaleb!!! Put me down."

"No, I have to carry you through the threshold." He said holding down his laughter. He ran up the path that led to the entrance, which was wrapped in a big porch. He let go of the luggage long enough to get the key from his pocket and open the door. Once inside he settled the bags in the floor, but didn't put me down, instead he moved me so he was carrying me bridal style. I wrapped my arms around his neck as I looked around.

From what I could see immediately, most of the house must be occupied by the bedroom, or whatever was in the back of the house. We stood in a small living room/kitchen, everything seemed to be made out of wood, the floor, furniture and even some of the decorations in the walls, the woodsy smell was everywhere making a relaxing atmosphere. I didn't have time to look further as I found myself being attacked by Kaleb's lips.

"What do you want to do, take a bath, relax for a little bit and later hit the bed, or give in to out lusty side right now and maybe later take a bath." I laughed at how fast he spoke, but it wasn't a deep laugh as he kept kissing my neck, jaw and lips. I was still in his arms, he moved me so I was straddling him, so he could have better access to different parts of my body.

"I prefer choice number two." I murmured once he released my now swollen lips. He started to move down the house to the little hallway. Kaleb took a few stairs, I didn't know why as my eyes were closed only enjoying his touch in my skin, and suddenly we were landing on a soft surface, hopefully a bed.

"I love you Mrs. Early." Kaleb said breathless after breaking the kiss so he could start removing his clothes and mine. My heartbeat accelerated once again just by hearing him call me that. I wrapped my arms around his torso and brought him back to me. Our bodies immediately became as one and I was fascinated at how much more I could feel. Knowing that I was his and he was mine completely made his touch and movements intensify. I also noticed that he seemed to be more relaxed and open towards our love making, making me lose control completely and show him how much I wanted him.

After making love for a long time, it was now again night, we laid tangled in each other unable to stop looking deeply in our eyes. I tore my eyes away from him so I could actually see where we were. Like I suspected earlier, the house constituted mostly of the bedroom, only it wasn't exactly a bedroom. It was an open space, there was no door between the small hallway and the room, only three stairs that led to this section of the house. The house was practically a big studio divided by slim walls that didn't reach the high ceiling. The only room that was completely covered was the bathroom, which I assumed was the door right next to the stairs.

We were lying in a huge platform bed, which was against the back wall, the walls were painted white with black and white portraits in random positions. This room was very different than the living room and kitchen, more modern. A plasma TV faced the opposite wall, a big dark wooded dresser stood next to it, with a mirror on top. The place was in neat condition, obviously someone had prepared it for our arrival, the air conditioner was even on and hopefully the fridge was full of food as I didn't want to get out of bed to go to a grocery store. Rebecca told us that there was a small town only fifteen minutes away, where we could find restaurants, stores and even a small boardwalk.

I turned, so I was lying on my chest, and noticed that the back wall was covered with a curtain. I moved the fabric a little and gasped. "Kaleb, baby did you noticed that this isn't a wall." I said to Kaleb whom was playing with the few curls left in my hair.

"What?" He looked back and saw the same as me. Instead of a back wall, there was a huge window that looked to the distant beach. The view at night was wonderful, I couldn't imagine how it would be to wake up in the morning and have the whole ocean in front of you. "Whoa, so much for privacy."

"We're completely alone in this area, besides that's why there are curtains." I responded unable to move my eyes from the beautiful scene in front of me. The moon was hanging low, its reflection dancing in the gentle waves of the water. "Beautiful…" I whispered.

"Yes you are." Kaleb purred in my hair, wrapping his arms around me so he could bring me closer. Once wrapped in his arms, I stopped looking out the window and started staring at his deep brown eyes. Now that we were married there was a whole different world ahead of us, many unknown subjects and situations awaited us. Our moment of staring got interrupted when both our stomachs growled loudly. We started laughing really loud, I had completely forgotten that we haven't eaten since we arrived here. We only ate a small meal at the plane and before that at the wedding.

"Where are you going?" I asked Kaleb as he untangled himself from my arms and stood up from the bed.

"I'm going to check if there's food in this house." He said as he put on his shorts from earlier. He was looking at me when I frowned, I didn't like it when he covered himself, he should know better. He just chuckled and left to the kitchen. I laid on my back, looking at the ceiling as I heard him rummaging through the cabinets and fridge in the kitchen.

"Baby, there's a lot of food, but I'm not in the mood for cooking. How about sandwiches?" Kaleb spoke from where he was.

"Yeah, that sounds good." I answered as I got out of bed and started to look around for my suitcase. I remembered that Kaleb left them in the entrance. "Kaleb can you bring me the suitcase, I want to take a bath."

"Ok." He said and less than a minute later he came into the room carrying both our bags. He gave me a small peck before leaving again. I looked in the suitcase between all the things Alice bought me, and decided to put on one of the many baby dolls she made me get. This one was light blue and see through, except for the breast area. The panty was matching color and the same material.

I went to the only door visible in the room and once inside I was again surprised. The bathroom wasn't that big, but it was spacious. A glassed shower stood in the end wall, big enough for both of us, the toilet and double sink were in opposite walls. The walls were a light green color and the floor had white tiles. I turned on the shower and when I felt the warm water smiled as I was thinking that it was going to be cold.

After showering and putting on my baby doll, I went outside to find Kaleb in bed with a tray full of a tower of sandwiches. The TV was on, sending flickering colors all over the walls. When Kaleb heard me, he stopped looking at the TV and I laughed when his eyes almost bugged out of his head. "Mmmm… I like that." He said licking his lips.

I giggled and got on the bed, before I could react his hands were pulling me to him. His hot breath was hypnotizing me as he left kisses everywhere he could reach. His strong hands were getting tangled in the soft fabric and I was afraid he was going to rip it. "Kaleb, I'm hungry." I said breathless. I heard him grumbled but stopped what he was doing, if it wasn't that I knew he was also hungry, he wouldn't have stopped.

We ate in silence and watched the boring programs that were transmitting in the local channels. As we finished he took the tray to the kitchen and came back in a flash. He continued with what he was doing before we ate, but I wanted to discuss something first with him. "Kaleb I need to tell you something… something that has been bothering me for a while."

He stopped kissing me and looked at me nervously. "What, what is it?"

"I want a baby." I decided to tell him directly. His eyes got big and I heard his heart miss a beat. "Let me explain myself. You know two weeks ago I babysat Élan, well as I saw him running around and realized I wanted that. I want a baby of my own to take care of, someone who came from our love." I finished and wrapped my arms around his shoulders, placing my head in the hollow of his neck.

"You want to have a baby with me." He whispered after a while. It wasn't a question, more of a statement to himself.

"I talked to Leah, and she told me that it only took her around three months without phasing to gain all her woman qualities. It's not going to be easy, resisting the urge to phase as I'm the alpha, but I think that if I'm determined enough I can do it. And I'll tell dad to be in charge until I get pregnant, have the baby and start phasing again." I was talking really fast as I noticed Kaleb wasn't reacting to what I was saying. "You don't want a baby?"

By this he finally reacted, his head snapped up and captured my eyes. "Don't think that, I want a baby. Become a dad is something I want a lot, it's just I'm scared that you're going to stop phasing and not be able to do it again. What if you lose your will?"

"I won't lose it, I have you to remind me always why I love to be a wolf. If it wasn't for you I wouldn't have phased that first time. Don't you see, we phased the same day, and imprinted on each other, that's a sign that we are one. As long as you have the will to phase, I'll have it. So you're not freaked out about me wanting a baby so early in our marriage?" I asked at the end, biting my bottom lip.

"No, maybe we should start trying since this very moment." He said with a deep voice, burying his head in my neck. I squealed as he grabbed me and got on top of me. "I want lots of kids, four or five. I want the firsts to be twins, two baby girls."

"Why girls?"

"So they can be strong and beautiful as their mama." He stated as he removed delicately my clothes, once again becoming one, not only in soul but in body.

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**A/N:** _Hope you all enjoyed this chapter... leave me reviews as always and thanks to all of you who wrote something and gave me your support for the first chapter... _

_I added some pics to visualize the cabin and its rooms... go to_ **http://missandre27(dot)webs(dot)com/apps/photos/album?albumid=7358991** _or go to my profile and click on homepage link..._


	3. First Born

**A/N: **_In this chapter I want to start introducing Luke and Sophie's relationship... and also a new character will come to the story, if you want to see the profile of my characters remember in my profile I have the link to my WebsPage... Enjoy and leave reviews as always!!!_

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**Chapter 3: First Born**

**Luke's POV**

"Sophie no, don't do that." I said once again to the little munchkin that was running all around my room. Claire had to go to a doctor's appointment, as she's six months pregnant, and couldn't take Sophie with her. Quil was working and wouldn't go out until after six, which meant I had to take care of my princess almost all day.

I usually didn't mind spending my whole day with her, but today she was extremely hyperactive, making my level of concentration minimal. I was taking a summer course over the internet and was suppose to be studying for an exam due for the next day. I was studying in the same community college as Ami, only while she was in language I was in medical assistant, better known as nursing. I realized I wanted to help people the day Matthew was attacked and almost died, the way I didn't hesitate to help him, made my eyes open to a new career possibility. I talked to Carlisle and he recommend me to start with an medical assistant associate and see if I really liked the job, so far I'm content with what I'm learning.

"Lukey, I want chocowate milk." Sophie jumped in my legs, almost making the laptop in my lap fall to the floor. She was looking at me with her big dark brown eyes that I could never resist. I let out a deep breath and closed the laptop.

"Ok, but don't tell your mom that I gave you chocolate." I said as I picked her up from my legs and started to walk out of my room. As always Sophie placed her head in the crook of my neck, her favorite place to rest. Over these years this little creature never stops to amaze me, not only because she's my imprint, but because she's smart, unique and knows how to steal someone's heart with just one word or look. When she started to talk, she would repeat the word over and over again so she could learn to say it perfectly as 'adults would say it'. Maybe it's the fact that she spends most of the time around adults, but Sophie sometimes didn't act like a kid, except for days like this that she was only with me, and when she was with Élan. They were developing a friendship that reminded me a lot of mine with Ami. They were completely opposites, were Sophie likes to talk a lot, Élan was very quiet, or maybe it was that he couldn't still speak very well. Sophie always likes attention and to be surrounded by a lot of people, but Élan likes to be alone and only recently started to be with Sophie.

"More, pwease!!" Sophie's plead brought me out of my thoughts. We were already in the kitchen and I was preparing her milk with chocolate.

"Nope, two spoons is enough, I'm already breaking the rules here." I said as I stirred the contents in the cup with the spoon. She pouted at me but I resisted the urge to give her what she wanted with all my strength. A discomfort started to form in the pit of my stomach, but as Sophie saw I wasn't budging she stopped her glaring and pouting, making the weird sensation in my stomach dissipate. "Here and don't spill any or Aunty Emily is going to kill me."

After she drank the milk, she started to get sleepy, so I put her to sleep in my bed and continued to study. After an uninterrupted session of reading for half an hour there was a knock at the door, grudgingly I made my way to the front door and opened it hastily. There stood the last person I thought of seeing today, my brother.

"Hey little bro, aren't you happy to see me?" He said with his usual cocky smile. He was carrying a backpack and in his side a big suitcase. "Are you gone deaf or the stupidity finally caught up with you?"

"What are you doing here?" I answered trying to breathe so the shaking of my hands would stop a little. Every time my older brother was around he would do everything possible to make me feel like the gum stuck in the bottom of your shoe.

"This is my house too, I could come whenever I want." He said sidestepping me ad getting into the house, dragging his suitcase.

"I know. But you're supposed to be in school, weren't you going to take summer classes?" Well that's what he told mom and dad, apparently he wasn't.

"Yeah, but I decided to spend the summer with my adoringly family instead. Do I still have my room?" He asked starting to move to the stairs. I closed the front door and went after him, Sophie was sleeping and I didn't want him to wake her up.

"No, you'll have to sleep in the guest's room as your room is now mine." I was trying to pass him so I could close my bedroom's door, but even though I was now bigger and stronger than him I didn't want to push him and end up hurting him, something I'm sure mom and dad wouldn't like.

"So, umm… what her name? Ali… Alisa… no Ami, Amelia. Is she still living here?" He asked as he reached the top floor landing.

"Nope, she got married. She's right now in Hawaii in her honeymoon." I answered him finally being able to step ahead of him so I could lead him to his room.

Derek let out a snort and started to laugh really loudly. "Your little girlfriend got married, were you that bad that she found a real man and got married?"

"She was never my girlfriend." I spat back. I knew he was doing this on purpose, to get under my skin, but his words always made me remember the innumerable times he teased me when I was little. Being an Uley implied growing as a tough man. While Derek was the perfect first son, strong, street smart and good looks, I was skinny, always buried in books and the only girl who would like to spend time with me was Ami, and later Catlyn my first real girlfriend.

"Ok, whatever you say, but…" Whatever he was going to say he didn't as Sophie called me from my room and seconds later appeared next to me. She was scared as she didn't like to wake up alone in my house, but was more scared at seeing Derek and all she did was stare at him with big eyes and tug at my leg. "Who's this?" Derek asked pulling a half smile, I could see in his face he was trying to find the answer in his small brain.

"This is Sophie, Claire's daughter." I said picking my princess up so she could stop fidgeting. She was still eyeing him, but calmed a little as she rested her head in my shoulder.

"Okay…" He was looking at me then at Sophie, like trying to find the next thing to say.

"Who's he?" Sophie finally spoke, even if it was a whisper in my ear.

"This is Derek, my older brother." I said to her trying to sound cheerful, even if I wasn't feeling it. Derek continued his way to the guest's room without saying anything else, but I knew he had a lot of questions in his head. Derek might always be a jackass, but he knew how to behave in front of kids.

"Oh, he's mommy's cousin too." She said cheerfully, I nodded and started to walk to my room. I tried to continue to study, but Derek's arrival has blocked my mind. Instead I played with Sophie, she loved a game in which I said a letter and she had to say as many things she saw with that letter.

I stopped saying things with the letter 'B' when I heard a scoff from the door. Derek was standing in the doorframe with an amuse expression as he watched us, I was lying on my back in the bed, with Sophie spread on my stomach. I tried to ignore him and continue with the game, but I lost Sophie's attention as she sat on my belly and looked hard at Derek. She was analyzing him, something she did whenever she met someone new.

"So babysitting is just a favor or your actual job?" Derek spoke after a long period of silence. I knew he was going to try to tick me off in front of Sophie.

"Neither, I like looking after her and for your information I have a job at the tribal clinic, assisting Dr. Grey." I got Sophie off my stomach and stood up from the bed, I wasn't going to let Derek push me around like he used to do when I was little. I stood in front of him, towering over him and smirk when I saw him looking at my huge body. "Unlike you, I'm making something of myself and not running away and leaving my family behind."

"Wow little bro, chill down I was joking around." He let out a nervous chuckled and took a step back. "Look it has been a long time since I've been here, let's just not argue. So apart from working, what you've been up to, how did you got so big?"

I relaxed as I didn't want to make a scene in front of Sophie, who was sitting in the bed looking at both of us curiously, and he was right, I haven't seen him in such a long time I didn't want to ruin the moment. "I'm also studying medical assistant and I guess I was a late developer." I say sitting in my bed and grabbing Sophie so she could sit on my lap. Sometimes I did things like that unconsciously, it was like the pull towards Sophie blinded my thinking and reasoning. Derek eyed me as I held Sophie gently and leaned into her small body so her scent would engulf me, as he sat in the desk's chair.

"Medical Assistant, as in nursing?" He asked after looking at some magazines I had on top of the desk. I nodded my head and waited for one of his smart remarks, but he didn't say anything. Sophie was slowly starting to feel comfortable around Derek, she stood on my lap so she could place one of her tiny arms around my neck.

"Lukey can we pway outside, I don't wike him looking at me." Sophie said in my ear, trying to whisper but her high pitch voice made it hard. Derek chuckled a little but stood and left shaking his head. I knew that as soon as Sophie was out of the house he was going to bombard me with stupid questions and remarks.

The rest of the day I spend it with Sophie on the beach. She wanted a sand castle, so even though I didn't know how to do one I tried and ended with a small mound of sand that was drooping on one side. We laughed as I tried to make it at least look like a castle, but failed badly. After the failed attempt, I played with her in the shore, spraying her with water as she threw sand at me. When Claire called to my cell phone that she was at my house, I took a soaking Sophie in my arms and went home.

"Oh my God Luke, why is she wet." Claire's first words as I came inside the house. She immediately took Sophie off my arms, pain spread in my chest as my imprint was taken away from my arms. Being a hormonal six months pregnant woman meant that nobody could mess with her, especially with her daughter.

"Calm down, we were at the beach and we were having fun in the water, weren't we my princess?" Sophie immediately nodded animatedly at her mother and started to squirm, something she did when she wanted Claire to hand her to me.

"It's late and she could get sick by being this wet, you should know better Luke." She spat back at me. Mom came into the front room and gave a knowing look at Claire. I knew that she was telling her that she was worse with Quil when she was little. Claire let out an air of frustration. "I'm going to change her clothes before going home and thanks Luke for looking after her all day." She stormed off upstairs, probably to my room where I kept some of Sophie's clothes.

Mom gave me a big smile before heading back to the kitchen, I could hear Derek talking to dad. As I entered the kitchen to get something to eat, my heart dropped as I saw how happy dad and mom looked at having their eldest son back. No matter how many times Derek avoided us and ignored the fact that he had a family, they were always going to take him back with open arms and smiles on their faces, as he will always be their first born.

I took some of the food mom made, heated it and devour it in less than ten minutes. Claire left with Sophie while mumbling how inconsiderate I was in getting her daughter all wet. Sophie didn't want to leave, but I convinced her to go willingly and next time that she came over I was going to give her chocolate cookies, she stopped crying a little, but as Claire placed her in the car seat I could hear her sobs and the pain it caused me almost made me phase.

Without mom or dad noticing, I left through the back door to do patrol with Mathias. They were so immerse in talking to Derek that a hurricane could pass and they wouldn't notice. I didn't like being jealous of my older brother, but I thought that becoming a wolf would finally made them see me more than him, I guess I was wrong.

_Whoa, and everyone says that my thoughts are depressing. _Mathias voice resonated in my head making me stop thinking of Derek.

_Sorry, I didn't notice you were already in wolf form. _I said putting aside all my thoughts towards my brother and instead concentrated on Sophie, the only one who could give me peace of mind. _And please don't think about my issues while around the others, or talk about it to anyone._

_No problem, and I understand you know, to have an older brother who overshadows you no matter what. _He thought but didn't give details on what he was trying to tell me.

Doing patrol with Mathias gave me time in thinking of what happened since Derek arrived and what could happen next. I didn't know if dad was going to tell him about the shape shifter thing, or if we were going to keep it a secret, but I knew that if he decided to make my life miserable it was going to be hard to keep control around him.


	4. Past Secrets

**Chapter 4: Past's Secrets**

**Luke's POV**

It has been three weeks since Derek decided to become part of our family again and nothing apart of his daily routine to make my life miserable, has occurred. I had to sneak around so he wouldn't notice me leaving and spending the whole night out doing patrols. At the beginning he kept asking mom and dad what was I up to, but as they didn't answer him directly, he got tired and associated my disappearances to some adventure I was having with a mysterious woman.

It was Saturday, the day Amelia was coming back from her honeymoon and Sophie's birthday. Her actual birthday was the past Wednesday, but Claire and Quil decided to make her a small party in the weekend so everyone could attend, especially Ami and Kaleb. She was bouncing up and down when I went to see her before leaving with Seth to Seattle to pick up the newlywed couple and when I left my heart broke as I saw the big tears pour down her face. I wanted to be with her all day, as it was her special day again, but I promised Ami that I was going with Seth to pick her up.

As we drove to Seattle, I got lost in the memories the past Wednesday had left in me. It was Sophie's actual birthday, she turned two and to my eyes was the most amazing little girl I've ever met or seen. Throughout the whole day I did everything she told me to do, something I usually did but this time Claire didn't protest. I played with her with the new dolls Quil gave her and after putting together a swing and slide that they gave her, spent most of the day running with her in the backyard. The day ended when my little Sophie fell asleep in my chest after watching the third movie in her new princess DVD collection. That day I gave her as a gift a warm blanket that had black wolfs all around, but I was planning on giving her a special gift tonight, a handmade bracelet that meant a promise. A promise that consisted in always be there for her and give her what she wanted and on top of all to protect her no matter what the outcome may be.

Around midday Seth and I arrived at the airport in Seattle. We went inside and after ten minutes I found myself being hugged by Amelia. "Oh I'm so happy to be back. Hawaii was amazing but I wouldn't trade home for anything." She said releasing me and going to hug Seth once again. I noticed that she was looking a little different since the wedding, but I couldn't pin what it was.

"So, enjoyed the honeymoon?" I asked Kaleb as he let go of the luggage momentarily to give me a side hug.

"Yup, sex at whatever time of the day is amazing, especially when there are no prying wolf's eyes or ears around." He said chuckling, but stopped when Ami smacked him in the back of his head.

"Kaleb dad's here." Ami hissed under her breath, eyeing Seth whom was pretending he hadn't heard what Kaleb just said. No matter how old Amelia was, she was always going to be his precious daughter.

"Oh please love, we're married and he's going to see what we did when I phase, you know I'm not going to be able to not think about all the steamy… Ouch!!" She had hit him again and was giving him a hard look. "Okay, I'll try to be discrete and not think of our sex moments."

"You better, I don't want to see my daughter in intimate positions, no matter if you're her husband." Seth finally spoke picking up one of the suitcase. I picked up the other and started to follow Seth who was already leaving the building.

"So, anything interesting happened in my absence?" Ami asked from the back seat as Seth took the exit to the highway. She was sitting in the middle, Kaleb's arm wrapped around her shoulder. Once again I stared at her and started noticing small changes, like she was looking skinnier, but maybe it was the fact that I didn't see her for a whole month.

"No, well Emily caught Thomas and Andy having sex in the tool shed, she freaked out and gave them the talk about where and when to have sex." We all laughed remembering Thomas' intimate anecdotes. He tends to get aroused in the weirdest places, like in the back of the store Andy works in, the back of the school's bleachers, once in the back of Jared's car, they didn't do it again there as Kim almost caught them, and so many other random places. "Oh and guess who's back?" I asked turning around so I could look at her better.

"Who?" They asked at the same time.

"My famous and adored older brother." I tried to hide my hatred of the matter, but I guess my face said it all as Ami and Kaleb started to laugh again.

"Sorry but it's evidently that you still don't like Derek. Why is he back, the grandeur of big cities doesn't fascinate him no more?" Ami said after getting her breath back.

"I don't know, he told mom and dad that he wanted a break and spend some time with his family, but I know is something more." Derek as soon as got out of high school left to study far away and when he finished his college studies in criminology, decided to form a life outside our world. A life none of us knew anything about.

"Is he still the same pain in the ass and king of cockiness as before?" Kaleb asked after a moment of silent. He was playing with a strand of Ami's hair but I could see the dislike towards Derek emanating from his pores. If I was Derek's number one target to make miserable, Kaleb was number two. Kaleb since we were little was secretly adored by all the girls in the Rez and Derek didn't like that as he was suppose to be the desirable one. I remember when we were around eleven, Derek was thirteen, there was this girl whom he liked but obviously she was interested in Kaleb. To make the story short, even though Kaleb was oblivious to the girl's attention, Derek ended 'accidentally' sticking a gum in Kaleb's long hair. They had to cut it out and since then Kaleb had left his hair short, not wanting to let something similar happen again.

"Yep, but remember we're bigger, have a lot of muscles and to top it all off we're giant wolfs." I said and saw when Ami rolled her eyes and release a chuckle. She didn't like it when I acted so sure of myself, she said that I looked a lot like Derek when I acted like that. "And talking about our wolfiness, have you been losing weight or is it me?"

Ami gave a sidelong look at Kaleb and started to bite her bottom lip, something she did when she wanted to hide something. I looked intently at her and with my eyes told her to tell me what was happening, Seth shifted in my side and I knew he was now paying more attention to the conversation instead of the road. "Well it's nothing to worry about." She said with a nervous smile.

"Then what is it?" Seth asked unable to contain his anxiety.

"Ugh!! I wanted it to be a surprise, but is obvious you two are going to bother me until I say what it is, so here we go." She took a deep breath, intertwined her fingers in Kaleb's and looked at me directly in the eyes. "I'm willing myself to stop phasing, I didn't do it this whole month and it's already showing. I'm losing muscles weight and my healing is slower."

My mouth was wide open and my eyes wanted to pop out of my head. "What!! Are you crazy, you're our Alpha. You can't stop phasing, you're going to start getting old and I'm going to be stuck…" I couldn't finish the sentence as thousands of emotions overwhelmed me all at once. If Ami stopped phasing that would mean that soon Kaleb will too and I'll be stuck in my seventeen year old self by myself without my sister. I knew it was selfish and that Ami was going to stop phasing first than me, but it still hurt a lot and made me freak out.

"Amelia what are you planning to do, leave the pack to me? I'm not their alpha." Seth was saying from my side with a lot of concern in his voice. I knew he was feeling the same, sooner or later he was going to see his daughter grow old and die.

"No let me explain!!" She shouted and we fell silent. "It's just temporarily, until I can get pregnant and have a baby. I want to form a family with Kaleb, the family I never had, a mom, a dad and a baby. I know it sounds crazy and that it's too soon but our lives are always in danger. We don't know when vampires are going to attack, and in one of those attacks one of us could die. I just want to live to the fullest and I'm not going to wait until I lose my will to phase to form a family, what if I never lose it?" As Ami gave her small speech, I didn't notice that Seth had stopped the car in the side of the road and was looking back at his daughter with the same shocked expression as me. Kaleb was caressing Ami's face, trying to calm her down as she was trembling slightly.

"Remember deep breaths, don't lose it now." Kaleb was whispering in her ear. After some seconds her trembling decreased and she regained her composure.

"Are the two of you going to stare at me and not say anything?" Ami asked us after having full control. I didn't know what to say, I still saw her as my best friend, my sister. The one who was going to do everything the same as me, but now she was married and planning in building a family. I was scared because there was no place for me in that life, I was going to be the best friend who had to wait for his imprint to grow up and see if he was meant to have her as a lover or just his friend. Deep down I also was envying Ami, as I might never have what she was having in that moment, the opportunity to form a family with your imprint.

"I understand what you're feeling, it's just I'm in shock." I said after putting together all my thoughts.

"Yeah Ami, you just caught us by surprise. I'm not mad or concern, it's okay as long as it's what you really want. And I don't mind becoming a grandfather, in the contrary having a little pup around its exciting." Seth said with a huge smile on his face. Ami started to beam and her eyes were glistening with tears that wanted to come out.

As Seth started to drive again I couldn't help but worry about all the things that could go wrong. Ami could lose her will completely, something I didn't want to happen for a long time. But if this is what she wants then I'll give her all the support she needs.

* * *

When we arrived at Quil's house, almost everyone was already there for the party. We decided to go first to the birthday and later to help Ami get settled in her new house, she was excited in seeing the last remodeling we did. As soon as we came into the backyard, Ami and Kaleb were immediately swept away by Catlyn and Andy whom wanted details about the honeymoon. Over these past years as Ami was always busy doing patrols or studying, Cat and Andy build a kind of friendship, mostly centered around all the gossip that circled around La Push. I saw Thomas rolled his eyes at the evident abandonment from Andy and started to talk to Embry animatedly.

My eyes were raking the backyard, trying to find where my little princess was. I let the pull guide me and found her in Quil's arms as he spoke to Jared and Paul. As soon as she saw me, she started to squirm in Quil's arms and tell him to put her down. Quil put her on the floor and she ran to me, jumping so I would pick her up. She was wearing a pink dress with white tights and pink shiny shoes. Her straight hair was lose and reached her small lower back and on top of her head was a sparkling tiara. She was looking just like the princess she was.

"Miss you Lukey." She said planting a slobbery kiss on my cheek.

"Miss you too princess" I said while kissing her on the forehead. As always I could feel Quil and Claire's eyes on me. No matter how their experience was while Claire grew up, they were always going to doubt my intentions with Sophie. I didn't mind as I knew that she was their little girl and they had to protect what is theirs. "Guess what, I brought someone with me."

"Who?" She squeaked. Sophie always loved surprises and got really excited whenever she got one. As she bounced in my arms I walked to where Ami was saying hi to the rest of the guests. When Sophie saw her she squealed and started to scream her name.

"My little munchkin, come here give me a big hug and a kiss." Ami said walking to us. She took Sophie from my arms and immediately got wrapped in Sophie's little arms.

"Aunty Ami, wook" Sophie said pointing at her tiara. "Daddy got for me"

"Oh!! It's pretty, maybe later you'll let me borrow it because I want to be a princess too." Ami said. I noticed as she carried Sophie how happy she was. Her eyes were sparkling and I knew she was imagining having a baby very soon.

"Where's Unca Addie?" Everyone around us chuckled as they knew she was referring to Kaleb. Because Sophie couldn't say Kaleb's name properly, Ami had told her to call him Addie, short for Addison his second name. Kaleb was near and when he heard what Sophie asked, gave Ami a glare but went to Sophie to give her a small kiss.

"You're going to pay for that you know, tonight." Kaleb said low enough so Sophie wouldn't listen. Ami chuckled and raised an eyebrow, like challenging him.

Very soon Claire came and announced that we were going to sing Happy Birthday and let Sophie open her gifts. As we sang, she bounced in the chair that was in front of the table with the cake while holding my hand, which she didn't want to let go and I didn't mind at all.

After we sang and she blew the two pink candles on top of the two levels chocolate cake, Quil helped her reach the top by lifting her up, she started to open the gifts. She squealed and clapped for the gifts she liked, which were all of them. Ami and Kaleb got her a Hawaiian doll, Quil and Claire gave her apart from the swing and slide in the backyard, a purple dress that Sophie had fell in love with one time we took her to the mall in Port Angeles. Between Catlyn and Andy she got a lot of bracelets and necklaces, which she was already putting in her arms and neck. All the rest of the wolf guys and ex-wolfs got together and bought her a small tree house, they were going to assemble it in a tree during the week.

The rest of the people gave her either dolls or very girly clothes, even Élan came to her side and gave her a lollipop, which she accepted with a giggle and gave him a small kiss on the cheek. I felt the eyes of some of the guys on me, like seeing if it bothered me, but it didn't. Sophie was like my little sister and I didn't mind seeing her give another tiny boy a small kiss, why would I be mad, I only wanted what she wanted.

Finally it came the time for me to give her my gift. I sat on the ground, so I could be in eye level and gave her a small box wrapped in green paper. "Here this is my gift, hope you like it." I said kissing her on the head, inhaling her intoxicating scent.

She took the box delicately and started to peal the paper slowly. When she opened the box, she let out a gasp. "It pwetty." She said picking the bracelet and looking at it closely. The bracelet was made of strings interwoven together making an intricate pattern and had a wooden wolf charm, something we wolf boys learned from Billy. Apparently it's tradition to give your imprint a wolf charm, symbolizing that your soul belongs to them. Ami and Kaleb exchanged wolfs when they celebrated their year anniversary and Thomas was planning on giving his to Andy very soon.

"Here let me put it on" I said grabbing the bracelet delicately. While I tied it around her tiny wrist, I told her what it meant. That I would always protect her and be there for her no matter what, and everything she needed I would give willingly. As she nodded her head that she understood, I knew she was never going to forget my promise.

Everyone around us was watching intently our exchange, Quil and Claire were a little hesitant but they didn't say anything. I knew it was too soon to make such a promise, but my heart told me that any time was perfect. I wanted Sophie to always understand our connection and to not be afraid of it.

I let go of Sophie and she immediately ran to her parents and showed them the bracelet, I could tell she was really excited and that it was her favorite gift. "Wow that was sweet Lukey, guess your little girlfriend like it a lot." Derek had finally decided to arrive and as always had to say a smart comment. "I never saw you as one to have such a soft side towards little girls, or are you in search of a new girlfriend as your previous one left you and is now happily married and with a baby." I had to take deep breaths to control my anger, my hands were starting to shake a little. Matt and Cody were watching us and decided to get a little closer in case things got more heated. I got closer to Derek and immediately smelled the alcohol, so he was drunk.

"You've been drinking, why don't you go home." I said trying to get him out of there without creating a scene.

"Why? I was also invited, Sophie is my family too, unless you only want her for yourself." He was talking really loud and the last part I didn't like the intonation he gave it. Kaleb and Ami, whom were talking to Rachel and Paul, noticed the commotion and decided to intervene.

"What's going on here?" Ami asked with her alpha attitude. Kaleb was behind her, he placed an arm around her waist like a remainder to stay calm.

"Oh my God, little Ami is a woman now, and a hot one I must say." Derek said sidestepping me and getting closer to Ami. Before anyone could react he grabbed her and gave her a hug. I could see Kaleb trembling slightly and a very low rumbling was coming from his throat.

"Derek, it's nice to also see you after such a long time." Ami said trying to hold back the repulse against my drunken brother.

"Yeah and congratulations for getting married." He said and looked at Kaleb for the first time. "When I heard about you and Kaleb boy here, I couldn't believe it. Ami you're such a good girl and Kaleb is a… what word to use… man-whore!"

"Whoa!!" I grabbed Derek and pulled him away as Kaleb tried to grab him, thank God Matthew and Cody were near and grabbed him. The rest of the guests were noticing our encounter and were trying to find out what was happening. I saw mom and dad coming closer, but Derek was once again saying stupidities.

"Ooohh!! You've gotten feisty Kaleb, but it's true you don't deserve her or was she your last victim of all the girls you used for pleasure. Remember to treat me good as I left this place with a lot of secrets that will make Ami reconsider your marriage." It all happened really fast, Kaleb got out of Matt and Cody's clutches, pushed Ami aside and launched himself at Derek.

When I reacted and phased, pieces of clothes flying everywhere, Kaleb was already on top of Derek. Everyone was shouting and screaming but Derek's screams were louder than all the commotion. "Kaleb no!!" Ami was shouting, she was trembling but I could see in her eyes she was restraining from phasing. As I grabbed Kaleb and started to push him with my head away from Derek, Seth phased and started to give orders to Kaleb, who's state of mind was confusing.

Many images were passing through his head, but none made sense. It was like he was trying to control them but they kept popping up.

_Think of Ami. _I thought out loud. As he heard me, he started to calm down and let us push him to the forest. I looked back and saw Derek all covered in blood, mom crying on his side and trying to get rid of all the blood. The last thing I saw before entering the woods was dad getting mom away from Derek and letting Jared do his work, Derek's heartbeat was weak but I knew he would make it. Sophie was crying as Claire took her inside the house, I wanted to go and console her, but Seth needed me at the moment to control Kaleb.

_What were you thinking losing control like that, you almost killed him. _Seth was shouting.

_He deserved it. _Were the only words we could identify in Kaleb's head as he was still thinking about a jumble of images. From girls with blurry faces, to Ami's clear one. It was evident he was trying to concentrate in memories with Amelia, but the others kept coming forward.

_No, if you would have killed him you would have ruined a family. Or have you forgotten he's Luke brother. Emily and Sam would be devastated. _Seth was saying and for the first time Kaleb was paying attention. He let himself fall to the ground and started to whine. _You and Ami want to have a baby, think how would you feel if your kid was killed._

A howl escaped Kaleb's lips, making my hackles stand on end. _I'm sorry, it was stupid of me. I just lost control because all the things he was saying are true. If it wasn't for the imprinting I would have never gotten Ami, she would have never noticed me. There are so many bad things I've done… _He trailed off as Ami entered the place we were in. She was in human form and slightly trembling, but in control.

"Can I talk to Kaleb alone, please dad, Luke phase back." She said with a tiny voice. Me and Seth shook our heads saying yes and started to leave them alone. "Oh and they took Derek to the hospital, almost everyone has left but Quil wants you to go and help him calm Sophie, she's been asking for you." Ami said to me directly.

In the edge of the forest we found some shorts, Quil probably put them there. Seth left saying he was going to check on Derek before heading to his house and to Emma, and I walked inside Quil's house. Sophie was crying really loudly and a pang of pain hit my chest as I thought about her ruined birthday.

"Shhh… I'm here baby. I'm fine so don't cry no more." As she heard me, her crying stopped a little but she was still sobbing. I could see in Claire's eyes that she was mad about what happened, she eyed me intently before handing me Sophie, like she was trying to see if I was in control.

"I'll be preparing her some hot milk, try to make her sleep." Claire said before heading to the kitchen. I could hear Quil in another room talking, probably on the phone as I didn't hear another voice. He was asking about Derek and how he was. From all that had happened, I couldn't bring myself to get worried about my brother. It was like deep inside I agreed with Kaleb that he deserved it.

I rocked Sophie so she would calm down. Her tiny heart was beating erratically and I knew she was still freaked out about what she might have seen. I didn't know if she saw me turning into a wolf, if she did she was taking everything good. As long as she accepted what I am, I wasn't going to keep the secret from her. Her eyes started to droop and after I gave her the hot milk, she fell asleep soundly, going into a world where everything was perfect and magical.

* * *

**A/N:**_ Hope you enjoyed it!!! From this point on things will come down from paradise... Leave Reviews as always!!_


	5. Rising Worries

**Chapter 5: Rising Worries**

**Amelia's POV**

It has been a week since Kaleb attacked Derek. After he was taken to the hospital, I went to talk to Kaleb. I waited patiently by his side until he was calmed enough to phase back. As I waited I thought about how I felt watching him almost kill someone. I felt pain, wanting to phase and stop him at the same time as I knew that if I phased the chance of getting pregnant would go back to zero. Right in that moment I doubted if I was meant to become pregnant so soon and form a family. If I would have chosen to phase, I would have been able to stop Kaleb and Derek wouldn't end up so hurt. While everyone said to me that I was a good alpha, I knew I wasn't as I always put first my wantings, then what's best for the pack.

"I'm sorry." Kaleb's soft voice got me out of my thoughts. He was sitting in the ground completely naked and for the first time I didn't feel the butterflies in my stomach or the desire to touch him with passion. The reason was his face, his eyes were really dark and his whole expression read that he was hurting badly. I got closer to him and wrapped his upper body in my arms. "I don't know what came over me, I felt so much rage and hatred. I guess everything I've been holding all these years against him came out and made me explode. God I could have killed him." He put his face in my neck and breathed deeply, my scent always calmed him down.

"Baby this is part of our lives, as long as we phase we're going to be a time bomb. I'm not going to say that is understandable what you did, because clearly is not. You know better that to let someone get you mad like that. I didn't even care what he was talking about because I'm sure to whom I'm married." I was letting out all that frustrated me about Kaleb, he was always insecure about why I wanted him in my life and no matter how many times I tell him he was all I needed, he never believed it completely. "When I said 'I do' I meant it with all my heart and soul, they were not empty words. I know your past is something I don't agree with, but you've change so much and I can't ignore that."

His heart was beating really fast, even though my hearing was becoming normal, I would always feel his heart as it was my favorite sound. "You know dad always says to me that imprinting is finding someone who completes you, but I don't see with what I complete you. On the contrary, I take from you. My past is so wrong and damaged that I taint your reputation and make people doubt your sanity and decisions." I felt my body shake, but not because I was angry or in the verge of phasing, but because Kaleb was crying uncontrollably.

"Shhh… please don't cry like this, it hurts me." I said in his ear, leaving small kisses in his ear, jaw and side of his mouth. "Do you want to know how you complete me?" He nodded and started to calm a little. "Love, nobody has or will love me as you. You need to remember that before you I always believed that I wasn't meant to be loved. You trust my decisions and give me confidence by always standing by my side, even if what I'm doing is stupid or uncalled for."

"Doesn't my past ever bother you?" His voice was muffled as his face was buried in my neck.

"To be sincere yes, I'll always be seen as the girl you settled with. I wish I was your first like you were mine, but that's impossible. I sometimes wonder how many girls you were with before me, but I know you don't care anymore so why should I. I'm not going to let all that go to my head, it's your past not mine. I'm sure of what I have, I'll always have you. Why can't you believe you'll always have me?" I asked grabbing his face so I could see his eyes and soul.

"I don't know!!" He shouted, closing his eyes as new tears decided to spill. I was shocked as I have never seen him so defeated.

"I love you and I want you for the rest of my life no matter what." I whispered while straddling him. I started to kiss him passionately, at the beginning he hesitated not knowing what I was doing, but after a small moment he responded. I wanted to show him how much he meant for me. "How about if we get home and I can show you how much I love you and we can start trying to get pregnant." I purred in his ear as he left hot kisses in my neck.

"Do you think he's going to be alright?" I couldn't believe what he was asking. Here I was seducing him and all he was thinking about was Derek. Maybe it was me the one who was acting wrong, that's why I didn't show him my frustration.

"Yes, Jared checked him before taking him to the hospital and he told us that apart from the scarring, everything's going to be fine." I said standing up and grabbing his hand so he would do the same. My eyes wanted to come out of my head as he stood in front of me in all he glory. It didn't matter that we were married, I was always going to feel butterflies as I watched his body and shiver as he approached me. "Let's go home and relax, tomorrow we can go to the hospital and you can apologize to the Uley's, especially to Derek. I know we're acting like nothing big has happened, but out there are people who are suffering and they are my family and I don't want things to go wrong between us."

"Okay, we'll go tomorrow." He said grabbing my hand and intertwining our fingers.

With that we went to our new house, dad had already taken our luggage there. After settling and getting comfortable enough, we made love all night, showing each other how much we needed and loved the other. Throughout the whole love making I felt something weird, like the man I brought home wasn't entirely my husband. Like something inside of him changed when he attacked Derek, but I put my thoughts and worries aside and enjoyed our first night home in the arms of the man I will always love.

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"Baby do you think we should take something to Sam's house, like get-well flowers or a desert?" Kaleb's voice came from our room, where he was getting dressed.

"I don't think it's going to do any difference, but it won't hurt either. I think a desert would be better, it could soften Emily at least. Show them we care and we want to make things better." I said drinking my orange juice. I was sitting in a stool in the kitchen observing everything about our new house.

I remembered the night we arrived; I was out of words as I saw for the first time our finished house. When we bought it, it was small and in really bad shape, but now it was still small but the guys had done a good job in making it comfortable and beautiful. It consisted of a living room, kitchen, two small bedrooms and one bathroom. From outside it was painted a light yellow with green shutters and the guys added a wraparound porch. Most of the house was traditional, except for our bedroom, which reminded me a lot of our honeymoon room. The ceiling was high and circular; the back wall was all glass looking to our backyard that was the forest.

"So we're stopping in the market to buy something, how about a fruit basket, everyone likes fruits." Kaleb said coming to the kitchen fully dressed. We were going to Sam's house, my former house, as Derek was finally out of the hospital and Emily wanted to give him a welcome home dinner.

The day after the attack we went to the hospital but Derek didn't want to see anyone. Sam told me he was still taking everything in and trying to understand what we were and our purpose in the reservation. The first thing Derek asked when he woke up was what attacked him and that he remembered Kaleb turning into a giant animal. Sam didn't have any other choice but to tell his older son the whole secret. He also told me that Derek was scarred from his left ear to the same side of the rib cage. His left arm was also damaged and they had to do muscle reconstruction, but the doctors said he was going to be able to use it with full function.

At least Kaleb was able to apologize to Emily and Sam, they understood as they passed through the same, but were still a little shaken that Kaleb could have killed their son. Luke, even though that day acted with indifference, now was giving Kaleb the cold shoulder. I guess the shock of almost losing his brother finally caught up with him.

We went to the local market and bought a fruit basket and an apple pie for just in case. When we arrived to the Uley's house, my teenage years home, only a few people were there. Jared with Kim and Matthew, Thomas was still in patrol with Mathias, Cody and Jayson. Also there was Paul with Rachel; dad couldn't come as he was spending the week in Seattle with the Cullens and arriving with us was Leah with her husband William and kids Mekhan and Abigail.

"Oh you didn't have to bring anything." Emily immediately came to us and took the fruit basket and apple pie. She was smiling, but at the same time I saw in her eyes how mad she was still at Kaleb for almost killing her son.

We entered the living room where everyone was sitting and took the love seat in the corner after saying hello to everyone. "Hey you finally arrived." Luke came to us from the kitchen and sat in a chair next to us after giving me a kiss in the cheek and a hand shake to Kaleb. I noticed he was looking a little strained, probably as the result of not seeing Sophie properly for this whole week. Claire got a lot of stress because of the attack in the birthday party and decided to spend some time in her parents' house and took Sophie with her. It wasn't good for her pregnancy to suffer a lot of stress.

"So how you doing?" I asked as I hadn't seen him properly since the birthday, I started working again and didn't have the time to get back with my friends.

"I'm doing okay, things are still a little weird with Derek and I haven't seen Sophie very often but I'm doing acceptable. Yesterday I went to Makah and watched her through a window, but it's not the same." He said gloomy.

"How's Derek doing?" Kaleb asked looking around to see if he had finally appeared.

"How do you think he's doing?" Luke answered with a serious voice and look. The day after the attack dad told me Luke wasn't acting normal. It was his brother that was almost killed, but he wasn't showing any strong feeling or emotions against Kaleb. Now he was finally acting the way he should.

"Sorry." Kaleb mumbled.

"Saying sorry is not going to solve anything. You could have killed him, you're supposed to be in full control by now, how could you let his stupid words get the better of you." Luke was finally letting out all that was bothering him. "I know that day I thought he deserve it, but I was just in shock. He might have made my life miserable most of the time, but he's still my brother and I care for him."

"Is he coming down for dinner?" Kaleb asked as Sam had told us previously that Derek spent most of the time in his room and didn't want to see a lot of people. That was the reason Emily decided to make this dinner between 'family', she wanted to make him feel better and understand better our world.

"Yeah, he's probably finishing to get ready." Luke said eyeing Kaleb with suspicion.

"Can I go talk to him before he comes down? I just want to apologize in private in case he decides to make a scene." Luke thought about it for a second and shrugged his shoulders in a way of saying he didn't mind. With that Kaleb gave me a little kiss on the lips and stood up to get upstairs.

Luke immediately made to take his place but I stood up, grabbing his hand dragged him to the back door and outside. "Why did you take me out here?"

"I just wanted to talk to you alone." I said looking at the trees, not wanting to meet his eyes. I was afraid he was going to immediately see that something was bothering me.

"What is it?" He asked grabbing my hands and squeezing them in a way of telling me he was giving me support.

I took a deep breath and swiftly looked in his eyes. "He's hiding something from me, and I think Derek knows what it is." I voiced out loud what has been bothering me since Kaleb attacked Derek.

"What? You think what Derek was babbling about is true. Well we all know many of the things Kaleb used to do before you, but do you think he's hiding something bigger?" His voice was covered with a lot of concern. Sometimes Luke knew my mind played tricks with me and made me believe things that weren't true, but the way I was looking at him told him I didn't have a doubt.

"I'm letting him think that what Derek said didn't bother me as I don't want to rise problems in our short time marriage, but I don't know how long I can pretend everything's fine." I was whispering afraid that someone was going to listen.

"So what are you telling me this for?" Luke asked with a lot of frustration. I knew he was going to act like this, he always was the one that pushed me so I would get what I wanted instead of accepting what I had.

"I just want you to tell me what to do, you're still a very important person in my life and your opinion means a lot. Please help me here, I'm scared of confronting him and ruining what we have built." I said my voice breaking.

Luke looked at me with big eyes for a moment before releasing the air he was holding and passing a hand through his short hair. "You already know what to do, you've always liked to know the truth no matter what. I sometimes get scared that I'm losing the girl I call best friend and sister. Please don't tell me I actually already lost her."

I stayed quiet listening to my heart, trying to find there the answer of so many questions that were driving me crazy. "Do you truly believe I'm strong, so far I haven't shown it. I'm always making mistakes and others get hurt because of them. Maybe I should just let things simmer down that way I won't create any more trouble."

"So what you prefer to continue being ignorant?" He asked me really stunned. "Come on don't give up that's not you. You asked me to tell you what to do, here it is. Fight, never give up no matter how bad things seems to be going. The girl I grew up with always wanted to know the truth and took drastic measures to get to it. Come on I believe you still have that spunk in you." The last part he whispered it in my ear. He wrapped me once again in his arms and hugged me very hard. I felt how much he was afraid of losing his best friend and sister.

I started to cry really hard, letting out everything that was bothering me and creating a nagging pain in my chest. His words woke me from the stupor I was in, a place where everything scared me and didn't let me move on and face the consequences. Luke just held me, he knew that I didn't cry that often and when I did it was better to let me get everything out.

"Thanks, you know for always reminding me who I am and what I stand for." I said drying my tear stained face. "I love you Luke, you know that right? I know I haven't been around for you but I just don't want to pass my moping to another person, less to you. But I promise I'll do my best from now on to be who I used to be."

"I know you love me, and I'll always love you sis." He said hugging me once again.

"I'll confront him, but not here. Maybe when we get home." I said with a strong voice. That's when I felt it in my bones, the feeling of power that I hadn't felt in a while. Specifically since the day of the big battle against the coven of the south, when I let go of my pack and decided to put Kaleb as my priority. Right then I knew that even though I wasn't phasing, I was still the alpha and nothing was going to get in between what I wanted and what's best for the pack, no matter how much time it took, I was never going to give up again.

**Kaleb's POV**

I needed to apologize to Derek, not only to quench the undying pressure in my heart for what I did to him, but to also know what he was referring to before I lost control. I was and am many things, but I'm not a killer or someone who can inflict pain without revulsion. Hopefully before I attacked him he wasn't talking about that one memory I was too ashamed of. Over these past years since I phased for the first time, it has been easy to hide what I did that dreaded day, but now Derek is back and with him came the tormenting flashbacks and fear that everyone was going to find what I did.

I told Seth to give me less patrols because I wanted to help Ami in getting everything ready in our new house, but the real reason was because the less time I spend connected to another mind, the better chance I have in keeping my secret. It wasn't easy to keep it out of my mind, but I've been practicing over the years making the feat possible.

I knocked on Derek's bedroom door and waited for a response. I knocked again as he wasn't responding and after almost a minute decided to let myself in as I knew he was there, I could hear his heartbeat and breathing. Derek was sitting in the bed, his back to the door. I knew he heard me come in as his shoulders were tense.

"Hey, sorry for coming in like that, but can I talk to you?" I asked form the entrance. He didn't move so I continued talking. "I just wanted to apologize for almost…"

"For almost what, killing me?" Derek snapped without turning around. "I don't think you're here to apologize, you were never the softy to admit your mistakes."

"I have changed a lot. I'm not the same guy you knew before leaving." I said getting completely in the room and closing the door behind me.

"Okay you've changed, but I bet Ami doesn't know what happened that night." He said with an amused tone of voice. He finally started to turn around slowly, my heart started to pump faster as I waited to see what I created. It wasn't a shocking view of his face, but knowing I caused it sent shivers up my spine and my body started to tremble. His left side of the neck, up to his ear was covered in three distinct red scars, as did his left arm. As he moved I saw that he must still be in pain, as his movements were cautious and slow. I was stunned looking at the scars when he spoke. "What, scared of what you did?"

"It will always hunt me what I did to you, know that I'll never forgive myself." I needed him to know that what I did has also affected my life, I knew that I could never be in full control and that was putting me on edge.

"Don't try to use reverse psychology on me, it won't work." He said standing up and getting in front of me, not two paces away.

"What's going to happen now?" I asked already knowing what he was going to answer.

"You know I had a girl back in New York and she dumped me for a better looking guy." He started to say with a distant look. "Three years, that's how long we were together and she got tired of me." Derek took a deep breath and looked directly into my eyes. What I saw in them scared me, he was in pain but not physically, but emotionally. "I was going to go back and try to get her back, but this happened." He touched his scars with trembling fingers. "And now she will definitely not want me back."

"You don't know that."

"I do know her very well and she won't like to be seen with a scarred man. I'm not going to take revenge, but know this. If the opportunity comes that Ami wants to know the truth, I will tell her. She deserves someone better than you and I'm not going to pretend that you have completely changed." There was a light in his eyes that told me he wasn't bluffing. With that he sidestepped me and left the room, leaving me hyperventilating. I didn't know what to do except find Ami and see what happens from there.

I started to go downstairs, following the pull towards Amelia. I found her in the kitchen with everyone else. They were talking animatedly to Derek who was greeting everybody with a huge smile. Ami saw me but in her way to me she stopped and pulled Derek from Leah's arms so she could give him a hug. I felt pain in my every limb as I saw him smirk at me and give Ami a kiss in the cheek. I wanted to do something, but knew it wasn't the right way to act and not the right place to lose control again. I took deep breaths and contained my anger as Ami came all the way to my side and grabbed my hand.

"Are you okay?" She asked me in my ear. I nodded and motioned her to grab a seat in the table as Emily was starting to serve the food. We ate in silence, once in a while I would feel Ami's eyes on me, but I couldn't bring myself to talk. I was afraid that she was going to find out through my voice that I was hiding something.

After dinner we moved to the living room and immediately formed different conversations. Ami and I sat in a love seat in a corner and stayed quiet listening to what everyone had to say. "What's on your mind?" Ami asked me through a whisper, making me jump a little.

"Different stuff, mostly about what I did to Derek." I answered even though that wasn't entirely true. Yes I was thinking about Derek, but more in the fact that he held in his scarred hand my fate. Derek was sitting next to Sam, talking to Jared, but once in a while he looked at me and a smile would form in his lips, making my stomach swirl in discomfort.

"Is there something you want to tell me?" Ami asked making my heart pump faster. "You know that no matter what I'll always love you, it's impossible for me to hate you. Our imprint bond will keep us together forever." Those words froze me as I knew they were true. I could hurt her deeply and she would still be connected to me and love me, like being stuck in a prison.

"Baby you know I don't keep things from you, it's just I'm thinking about how much my stupid actions can change someone's life."I said trying to sound sincere. The common pain that came after lying to my imprint surrounded me and I had to hold back the impulse to let out a cry of pain. I didn't know why I couldn't bring myself to tell her the truth, it was fear that froze my bones and made me feel trapped in my own body. I felt like if I tell her and she gets mad, my whole world would crumble and I would be left in a dark world for all eternity with the love of my life forced to love me.

Ami got closer and kissed me tenderly, as always I felt bliss and everything around us disappeared including all the problems that threaten to destroy what we had. "Why don't we go home and you can sleep a little before doing patrol." Ami said moving to my neck to put small kisses there.

"Mmm… that's a good idea. But a better one is to go home and we can continue trying to get pregnant." With that we stood up, said a quick goodbye to everyone and headed home.

That night even though my mind was clouded with worries I was able to love Ami in every possible way. Hopefully the situation would cool down until Derek would forget about it and we could continue having a happy life, too bad things could never go the way you want, so I would always have a nagging worry in the back of my head making things harder.

**A/N:** First I want to thank all of you who has given me support since the beginning and to those who are starting to rwad the story... even though I don't answer all the reviews, they mean a lot.

Second I added more pics to the photo gallery of Ami's new house, go check them out and remember to check the character's profiles so in the future you won't get confused on who's who. Link: **http://missandre27(.)webs(.)com/apps/photos/album?albumid=7358991 **(Remember to remove the parenthesis).


	6. Gravity

**A/N:** The inspiration for this chapter is the song Gravity by Sarah Bareilles, if you can listen to it to get the emotion of the chapter. As I said before every happy life has its problems and sadness, this chapter wasn't easy to write as I didn't want to do this to the characters but it had to be done... hope you like it and as always I want to know what are your thoughts... Enjoy!!!

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**Chapter 6: Gravity**

**Amelia's POV**

Six whole months and nothing. I didn't know that getting pregnant could be so hard. We have been doing it whenever the opportunity came, trying different positions Cat recommended and still nothing. It was frustrating, like fate was telling me that I wasn't meant to be a mother or maybe it was the fact that I was still having problems with Kaleb.

When we decided to get married, I thought that everything was going to be flowers and rainbows, but it wasn't. He was still hiding something from me and it was affecting our relationship deeply. Sex was still intense, but emotionally was empty. His warm touch didn't leave in my skin the same effect as before and his kissing didn't raise any butterflies in my stomach. Whenever I brought the subject up, we would end up fighting and yelling at each other, and after hours of rambling we would end up in each other's arms saying our apologies. I sometimes didn't want to say sorry or forgive him, but his mere presence and the thought of losing him made me weak.

To top my frustration, Claire gave birth to a beautiful and healthy boy named Michal. When I held him for the first time the day she gave birth, I felt miserable knowing I didn't have that.

"Luke I can't do this anymore, I feel like I'm going to explode any moment." Were the first words out of my mouth as I entered Luke's room. He was sitting in the middle of his bed, with legs crossed and a bunch of books around him. It was a Tuesday, I didn't have classes that day and I just got out of work and decided to go see Luke as Kaleb was at work and after that he had patrol until midnight.

"Okay, then if you're going wolf do it outside, I don't want you to break anything in here." Luke said looking at me through his eyelashes. I could tell he was analyzing my appearance to see how bad things were. "What's wrong?"

"He still doesn't want to tell me what he's hiding and to top it all I know Derek knows. Have you noticed how Kaleb becomes nervous and fidgets a lot when Derek is around, or tries to spend little time when we're all together having a good time? I'm getting tired of having to live with a lie."

"Have you confronted him and ask him to tell you the truth?" Luke asked putting aside some books so there was room for me to sit in the bed.

"Yes, at the beginning almost every day, but now I'm getting tired and it hurts a lot when we end up fighting. And most of the times I bring the subject up he finds something to do or leave with the excuse he has patrol, which I know is not true as I was the one who made the patrol arrangement " I said with a small voice. I could only show my weaknesses with Luke, knowing he wasn't going to be mad at me or disappointed, instead he always had something smart to say.

"And you're a hundred percent sure he's hiding something?"

"Yeah, you know how imprinting works, I'll always know when he's lying to me. I just can't understand what he did to be so afraid of telling me the truth." In that moment I didn't know what to do, the reason why I went to Luke was to find an answer. "You've done patrols with him, tell me what's on his mind."

Luke thought for a moment then releasing some air started to talk. "It's complete confusion, he doesn't necessary hides his thoughts but the images and memories running in his mind are too hard to understand. They're too hectic and without a pattern. And lately he's only been doing patrols with Mathias, apparently he is the only one who Kaleb doesn't mind being around."

Luke looked at me for a while, like waiting for me to speak or ask him another question, but my mind was too crowded and I couldn't get a coherent sentence out. "Ami, just don't give up." He grabbed my hands and pulled me so I was closer to him. "You have to keep asking him and show him that in a relationship there are suppose to be no secrets or things won't work put. I didn't want to tell you this before as it's harsh, but if he doesn't comply you have to leave him. You can't keep torturing yourself for a man you love but don't know completely."

I had a shocked expression by hearing what he was saying. He wanted me to leave Kaleb? Luke saw my expression and continued talking. "It's going to hurt badly, but you have to stand strong as our alpha. Even though you're not phasing anymore we still look up for you and it's affecting us knowing he's doing with you whatever he wants. Imprinting is supposed to be balanced in a way that both give to the other the same amount of love and affection. He's killing you slowly and it's better to get out before things get worse."

I thought about what Luke said for a while in silence. What he said was true, but by only thinking of leaving Kaleb my heart shuddered and I couldn't breathe properly. We didn't touch the subject again for the rest of the day. Later Claire brought Sophie so Luke could look after her while she took Michal to get some necessary shots. As always she was very excited to see me and started to play with my hair enthusiastically.

As the day went on I tried to distract myself with Sophie and talking to Luke, but my mind always went back to what Luke had said to me. Maybe some time apart would make him react and tell me the secret, but part of me didn't want to risk losing him forever. Those thoughts were pushed aside for a while when Derek arrived very distressed.

"What's wrong with you?" Luke asked as Derek sat in a stool with a loud huff, we were in the kitchen making some sandwiches for Sophie and us.

"Just another pointless job interview." He answered looking at what Luke was making. "Can you make me one?" He asked with big hungry eyes. I remembered that Derek was looking for a job, but in this area the job opportunities to what he studied was very scarce. Sam had offered him a good job in his constructing company, but Derek didn't want to end up working like his father. Some of the guys have even recommended him to jobs outside of the area, but he rejected them saying it wasn't what he was looking for. I knew he was actually hiding from the real world, he didn't want people to see his scars.

"Yeah, do you want it with everything?" Luke asked while cutting Sophie's sandwich in perfect little squares. Derek nodded and looked at me for the first time since he arrived.

"Oh, did Kaleb finally release you from his leash?" He asked turning around and facing me, a smirk spreading in his face. I was sitting in the dining table with Sophie in my lap.

"For your information Kaleb doesn't have the need to have me in a leash to keep me by his side." I said really smoothly. Luke looked at me with a raised eyebrow, like asking me if that was true. Derek's smirk didn't vanish, instead it intensified.

"If you say so." He said turning around again and taking the sandwich Luke made for him. I stood up and sat Sophie on the counter and started to give her the food while I ate mine. Derek immediately started to play with Sophie and I left him to feed her. "You know I still don't know what you saw in him to decide to marry him, you're too good for him." Derek was speaking with his mouth full and Sophie laughed at the sound.

"Derek don't start please." Luke said and I was very thankful for his consideration. He was watching closely as Derek gave pieces of the sandwich to Sophie, if he wouldn't be such a jerk I would see him as a great guy, he likes kids a lot.

"Oh please Luke, you must think the same, even you used to dislike Kaleb a lot. I'm just curious of what exactly happened to change everyone's mind." He said making faces while still feeding Sophie. At the beginning Sophie didn't like him, but over the months she had started to get close to him, especially as he like Luke, gave her everything she wanted. And weirdly she liked passing her tiny hands in his scares, especially the ones that ran down his arm.

"Dewek juce!!" Sophie's high pitched voiced interrupted our conversation as she asked for a drink. Luke gave her, her favorite sippy cup and continued to stare at all she did.

"What happened to us is we turned into werewolves, which made us change not only physically but also mentally and emotionally. Our lives were changed drastically without our wanting, so we started to see the world from a different perspective." I said, trying to make him see what no one had explained to him. Yes he was told what we were and what our job was, but someone who wasn't a wolf couldn't understand how deeply our lives changed and were bound to a force we couldn't control.

Also Derek didn't know what imprinting is as Luke didn't want him to know about his connection with Sophie, afraid how his brother was going to react or think.

"Still, I can't grasp completely the idea of you being stupid enough to be with him and end up marrying him." He said putting another piece of sandwich in Sophie's open mouth. The piece wasn't that small and she started to choke a little, Derek wasn't noticing as he was looking at Luke's and mine silent conversation.

Luke immediately grabbed the cup of juice and took Sophie from Derek's hands, giving her the juice while patting her back softly. "What the hell is your problem, she was choking." Luke shouted at Derek, I noticed he was trembling slightly still cradling Sophie in his arms while she sobbed softly.

"Chill out, she's fine. What's with the obsession with her?" Derek responded watching closely Luke's trembling. Whenever he saw that any of us was trembling a lot. he would leave afraid of getting attacked again.

"It's no obsession, I just care for her and she could have gotten hurt." Luke's voice was rising and he kept getting angrier. I needed to calm him down or he was going to do something stupid.

"Luke calm down, you're shaking." I said strongly getting closer to him as Sophie started to cry harder and loud. She was probably feeling Luke's anger.

"Oh are you going to wolf out on me? If you are make sure to avoid my good side if you attack me." Derek said with a smirk, but I saw deep in his eyes the worry. He always acts like the attack from Kaleb didn't affect him emotionally, but if you stare in his eyes you can see how much it has affected him. Even Emily sometimes gets shaken whenever any of us phase in front of her.

"Look I don't understand completely everything about this shape shifting crap, but I know there is something weirder going on here. What's up with you and Sophie, it's like you can't live without her." Once again Luke gave me a look and Derek saw it.

"Okay I'm going to tell you but you have to put on an open mind. It's another thing we gain by becoming shape shifters. For us it's easier to find our soul mates, the person we will always belong to." Luke started as he sat in a stool with Sophie in his lap. She had stopped crying and was now dozing off while sucking her thumb. Her eyes were drooping but they never stopped looking at Luke's face. "We have to look in the eyes of that person and our whole universe shifts making our lives rotate around that person. Our sole purpose is to make that person happy and give protection." He finished, caressing Sophie's dark hair with a lot of emotions. His eyes never left her tiny figure through the whole speech.

Derek was blinking as if trying to understand what Luke was explaining. "What does this mean…?" He got quiet again, looking between Luke and Sophie, who was tucked in Luke's massive chest. "Oh my God, that's messed up, you did this thing with Sophie, she's our cousin."

"It's called imprinting and we don't necessary know how it works." I started to say but Derek continued talking.

"So what, you're a pedophile now. You love Sophie and I understand now your obsession with giving her everything she wants and needs." Derek was rambling, not paying attention to anything else.

"It's not like that. Yes Luke loves Sophie, but in a brotherly kind of way. When we imprint we become what the other person wants us to be, if we don't our bodies suffer physical pain." I said.

"Wait you imprinted on… Ha!!" Derek started to laugh. "Should have known you didn't develop an interest in Kaleb the normal way, you imprinted on him so now you have to give him whatever he wants. You're a prisoner after all."

"We imprinted on each other, which means he is what I want him to be and the other way around." I said trying not to only convince him about my situation, but to also convince myself that being with Kaleb is what I wanted.

"And that's beside the point. What Ami's trying to explain is that Sophie means everything to me. My world would crumble without her and it doesn't necessarily mean we'll be lovers in a future, we're cousins after all." The last part Luke said with an internal sadness. It wasn't the fact that he wanted Sophie in that way, he only saw her as his little sister. But to know that in a future she might fall in love with someone else and move on meant that Luke wouldn't be in her life to protect her.

"Okay, I'm understanding, but can't you pick who you… imprint on, or reverse the process. Are you stuck with that person for the rest of your life?" We both nodded our head unable to explain in words that it wasn't a bad thing. In my part I wasn't sure if what Derek was saying was good or a bad thing.

"It's not as bad as you make it sound, we're already meant to be in that person's life. Imprinted love is eternal and unbreakable, undying love and happiness. Look at your mom and dad." I said starting to pace the kitchen. I was saying those words but not believing them entirely.

"Whoa!!! Mom is dad's imprint?" We nodded again. "Who else? Don't tell me." He started to think. "Quil and Claire, Jared and Kim, Aunt Leah and William?" We nodded for each couple he mentioned.

"So what you're saying is no matter what you'll always love Kaleb?" Derek asked me and for the first time looked into my eyes and I saw knowledge, he knew something. I didn't answer as I didn't know how I would act if I knew everything about Kaleb's past. He took my silence as a sign to continue talking. "So if I tell you a big secret from his past, you won't care and still feel the same?"

What was scaring me was that Derek wasn't laughing or boasting, he was looking at me seriously. "What are you gaining by this? If you tell me the truth and things go bad between us, what good does it do to your life?" I asked not looking at his face, instead to my hands.

"Everyone deserves to know the truth no matter the consequences." He answered me with a tone that got me shocked. For the first time I saw him as a human who has feelings and is capable of loving deeply someone else.

"Are you going to tell me this big secret?" I asked. Luke was giving me a worried expression, but reserved whatever he wanted to say. "Or are you going to keep rambling and not tell me?"

"I already told Kaleb that if you asked me I wasn't going to deny your request, so yeah I'm going to tell you." My blood boiled as I heard the agreement between him and Kaleb, I couldn't believe he went to the extremes of telling Derek to keep the secret from me. "You see I was senior and Kaleb a sophomore but he was really popular, especially among the females, so he used to go to a lot of parties I would go to. It was the pre-prom party and…"

"SHUT UP!!" We all jumped slightly as Kaleb's voice. He was standing in the kitchen's doorway looking madly at Derek. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?"

"It's my choice if I want to tell her the truth, remember. She deserves to know, even though you're dumbass enough to keep things from her. You're pushing her away." Derek said as a matter of fact.

"Come on lets go Ami." Kaleb said grabbing my hand and pulling. I didn't move, which caused him to look very hurt.

"I want you to tell me what you're hiding or I'm going to leave you." I said with a small voice, not looking at his face, which I knew must be showing all the pain I knew he was feeling as I was feeling it too. "I'm tired of being weak and doing things by only following my heart instead of my head. Either you tell me the truth because I'm your imprint and wife or because I'm your alpha and have authority over you."

I could feel Luke and Derek looking at us, but didn't dare look at their expressions, afraid of losing it and starting to cry.

"Ami please… I'll tell you, but not here. Let's go home." He tugged at my hand again and this time I complied. I glanced at Luke before leaving the room and his look gave me strength. I knew no matter what he was always going to be in my life and support my decisions.

The ride home was really silent, I couldn't look at Kaleb afraid of what I might see. When we got to the house I got out of the truck first and entered the house without looking back. I sat on the couch and waited for Kaleb to get inside and start explaining. He sat next to me and tried to grab my hands but I pulled them away. Nobody could imagine how I was feeling in that moment, furious, mad, sad, but to top it all off I was feeling betrayed. The pain I was feeling was unbelievable, but I couldn't let him see it, so I held back the tears that wanted to spill.

Many times I asked him if he was hiding something, and even though I felt he was lying, I still willed myself to believe he was saying the truth. And now I find out through someone else he was lying after all.

"Baby look at me please." My heart broke as I heard his sad voice. It was all over again like the day we imprinted, he insisted that I look at him and when I did my life changed drastically. I wasn't going to make the same mistake twice, but was it a mistake? My heart told me otherwise. Did I regret imprinting on him?

"I don't need to look at you for you to start telling me the truth." I said with a dead tone of voice. We stayed quietly for a while until he decided that it was time to start speaking.

"It was the end of our sophomore year and the current girl I was with was a senior, so she invited me to their 'unofficial prom', that's how they called it. I started the night slowly, but when I saw the girl I was with dancing and kissing another guy, it went everything to my head. It was like my freshman year again. I started to drink a lot, I must tell you I barely remember what I did at the end of the night. The next morning I felt horrible because I remembered slowly what I did.

"I didn't even know her name, she was passed out in one of the bedrooms. I was all pissed off for being stood up once again and I wanted some action, so I…" He stayed quiet but I already knew what he had done. Is something to know the man you love and married has a dirty past that involve a lot of women, but something completely different knowing he literally had sex with a girl without her consent.

"I was done when the girl woke up and she freaked out. Not in a way of screaming, but I could see in her eyes the fear of what I just done to her. I was half way dressed when Derek walked in the room with his girlfriend, the girl was crying so Derek knew I had done something to her but not exactly what. He found out later when the girl finally spoke, but she made him promise not to tell anyone else.

"I left and didn't care what was going to happen. Monday came and I approached the girl to see what she was going to do with the matter at hand, if she was going to report me to the police. But she told me that as long as nobody else knew, she wasn't going to speak. But that didn't take away what I did. I hold in my hands the blame that I raped someone, even though the girl didn't see it like that." I couldn't hear no more.

I stood up and went to our room. Really fast I started to grab some of my clothes from the dresser and drawers and put them in a traveling bag. I called dad in the process of making the bag and told him to pick me up as soon as possible. He wanted to know what happened, but by only hearing my broken voice he knew it wasn't something good.

I couldn't see well as my eyes were blurry with tears and my chest was hurting really badly as I heaved and sobbed. I couldn't no matter what look at his eyes or touch him again. I turned around to get some things from the closet when I saw Kaleb standing in the doorway. He was trembling, but not for anger, but because he was crying as hard as me. He watched me take my clothes and things without speaking or moving, when I closed the bag and faced him, still not meeting his eyes entirely, he froze. I looked at my left hand, at the rings that were supposed to represent eternal love, but in that moment I didn't believe that.

When he saw me taking the rings off and putting them on top of the dresser, he reacted. "Don't do this please, put them back on. We can work this out, I know you must hate me but at least let me explain why I didn't tell you the truth before you make any decisions." His voice was so pleadingly that I stayed quiet, he took it as my consent.

I wanted to get out of the house as soon as possible, but part of me wanted to hear the reason so later I wouldn't regret not listening entirely to his pathetic excuses.

"What I did is something I want to forget. I was actually able to put it in the back of my head for so long and now it all came back with Derek. I didn't want our life to be ruined for something I did in high school. I kept the secret thinking of you, only you, of what you deserve. I didn't want to give you a miserable life, so I decided to keep away my dirty past." His words were doing no effect on me, I was so mad and disappointed that I wasn't analyzing what he was saying. "Ami please we can work this out, I love you."

"No we can't, you're holding me down and making me weak with your lies and stupid ways of trying to protect me. I'm done." I said grabbing my bag and started to leave the room.

I was in the leaving room when Kaleb grabbed my arm and held me in his chest. I hadn't phased in months, which meant I wasn't as strong as him anymore. His intoxicating scent was torturing me, making me recent all I have said to hurt him and the pain in my heart intensified as I kept denying him what he wanted. "Let me go Kaleb."

"Please if you leave me I'll die." His voice was barely a whisper, but full of so much agony and pain.

"Life isn't all about you Kaleb. Since we imprinted I've done all possible to give all you wanted. You're all I breathe, my heart beats for you. But you, you do things for your own benefit, thinking of what's good for me instead of stopping and actually ask me what I want, because all this time all I've wanted was the pure truth, simple as that. But it's over now, I'll start living only for myself, be selfish and if you really love me you'll let me go, just let me go." I said, gathering the last bit of strength in me so my voice would come out strong.

Kaleb got shocked by my words and I took the opportunity to get out of his embrace. I felt the string that attached us give a tug as I took steps away from him. "There's more." He said as I was almost out the door. I stopped unable to keep moving as I was perplexed. For the first time I felt I was married and imprinted on a man I didn't know anything about.

"Before classes started again the girl came to my house, she was leaving to Boston for college and wanted to tell me something important. She was a month and some weeks pregnant…" Before he could finish speaking I was out the door as dad came to the driveway. He got out of the car and was sporting a murderous glare, he was followed by Luke. I ran immediately to Luke's arms and the tears finally caught up with my emotions.

"Amelia please don't leave me." I could hear Kaleb screaming , but I couldn't look at him. I buried my face in Luke's chest and let his warmth engulf me and take me away from this nightmare.

"Kaleb I've been patient with you, don't make me take matters into my hands." Dad's voice was full of hatred and I felt lucky in having him in a situation like this. "I don't know what you did, but you won't hurt my girl again, you hear me?"

Luke started to walk to the open door of the car with me still in his chest. Every step I took away from Kaleb's life was another nail driven to my heart. I couldn't hear Luke's reassuring words, or his gentle touch taking me inside the car, just Kaleb's sobbing and crying and felt both our hearts breaking.

"Seth just let me try to explain…" Kaleb's shouts were being muffled. I dared to look and saw dad holding his body with a lot of force so he couldn't get near me. Kaleb was shaking without control and in a blink of an eye his clothes shattered and his brown wolf form appeared.

"Luke take Ami home." Dad shouted before also exploding out of his clothes. The two wolfs started to fight without consideration. Luke got me in the passenger seat while he got in the driver's, the car was still running as dad didn't turn it off.

Snarls and howls were reaching my ears. I could recognize Kaleb's whimpers and feral noises and every time he released a howl my whole body shook and for the first time I felt trapped in my own body. The burning sensation I hadn't felt in months was engulfing my body and I wanted to phase, but I was unable to do it. I didn't know why but I didn't give it a lot of thought as in a split second my eyes locked with Kaleb's wolf one and I saw the life leave them.

Luke backed out of the driveway and the sight of dad fighting with Kaleb disappeared. A blood curling howl came from behind us and my body was engulfed in undying pain. I felt like I was dying but unable to do it completely, like half of me was already dead and the other part was kept prisoner in this world, it was torture.

I didn't know what was happening around me, just the notion that strong arms were carrying me. I let the darkness consume me and the only image that haunted me was Kaleb's eyes, broken and full of tears, begging me to give him another chance.

**Kaleb's POV**

She was gone and I didn't know what to do with my life. I knew that I had brought this upon myself, but that didn't make the pain any less painful. I was running and running, trying to get away from everything I had ruined, because that's what my life consisted of, ruining someone else's life. Even though I begged for forgiveness I knew I didn't deserve it.

I left Seth behind and started to run, I didn't want to feel no more, so I let myself feel and act as an animal. Thinking and living as an animal. Once in a while I would let out a deep howl, as I still felt pain. An unknown pain to an animal, but it was still agonizing.

**Luke's POV**

It was like watching a zombie, except I could hear her heartbeat and once in a while sobs would shake her body. We got to Seth's house and after turning the car off, I went to her side and picked her up and carried her inside the house. I took her to her room and placed her in the bed. She wasn't reacting to anything I did and it was scaring me. Maybe later Seth would call Dr. Cullen so he could come and check on her.

Once in a while she would mumble incoherent words, but some I could understand. She was mumbling Kaleb's name along with the words 'father' and 'baby'. But I couldn't actually identify what she was trying to say.

I spent the rest of the day and night with her, as every time I tried to move away she would start sobbing harder and cling to me like I was her life source.


	7. Reason to Live

**Chapter 7: Reason to Live  
**

**Luke's POV**

_So Mathias I wanted to do patrols with you for a while. _I said as we ran the second circle around the Rez.

_Really, why is that? _He asked accelerating his pace a little, he likes feeling the rush of air around his wolf form.

_I just want to know for certain that you didn't know what Kaleb did for Ami to leave him. He's not my concern but she is, and I just want to know for sure what exactly happened in his past. That is, if you know. _It has been five weeks since Ami and Kaleb had split apart and since then Kaleb has been in wolf form and none of us knew where he was. He has been acting and thinking as an animal, not realizing when some of us were also in wolf form or thinking about him directly.

As for Amelia, her physical demeanor has been going down every day. It has been like watching a zombie, only her heart was still beating and her crying never ceased. I was spending as much time with her as I could, cutting short my time with Sophie and doing fewer patrols with the guys. Even some nights I would stay as my presence would give her some time of calmness and a good night. All this was affecting my life, studies and work deeply, but I didn't care as I was helping her and that's all that mattered.

The other guys from the pack were also very concern about her situation. They would pay her visits between patrols, work or school, trying to make her come back, as at the moment she was lost. When her eyes were open, it was like looking at a bottomless pit. No emotions or feelings could be detected in them.

_Luke I wish I knew what happened between Amelia and Kaleb, bur he was very secretive. His mind was complicated and he was good in keeping things from everyone else. Thrust me if I knew something I would… _He didn't finish his thought as in that moment there was a loud howl we recognized as Thomas'.

_Guys, Ami was taken to the hospital. I was over there with mom and dad when she collapsed, dad took her immediately to the hospital. _Thomas said as he got our attention. Without thinking I bolted and started to run at top speed, once near the line of trees close to the hospital I phased and put my shorts on. I didn't care that I wasn't wearing a shirt, all I cared was that Ami was sick and she needed me.

Seth was already in the waiting room, pacing from side to side. "How is she?" I immediately ask.

"They took her away and are doing everything possible." He said without looking at me or stopping to pace. I could feel how scared he was as I was feeling the same.

"What exactly happened?" I asked as Mathias came in followed by Thomas.

"Here, I stopped at my place and grabbed an extra, knew you'd need it." Mathias said handing me a shirt. He was smaller than me so the shirt was a little tight around the chest.

"Thanks. So Seth what exactly happened?" I asked again to Seth.

"She finally went out of her room, I made her some lunch and after a while she complained that her abdomen was hurting. Before Jared could check her she collapsed." Seth answered getting lost in his thoughts for a little while. "Emma smelled blood, that's when Jared saw her bleeding and we brought her here immediately."

When Emma found out what happened between Ami and Kaleb she wanted to hunt him down and make him hurt badly, make him regret hurting Ami. None of us knew exactly the big secret, but I'm certain of one thing, if we find out Kaleb better not show his face around or one of us could lose control and end up doing something stupid and I'm sure Emma would lose control on purpose. She doesn't see Ami as her daughter, more like a very good friend. At the beginning they didn't get along as Emma didn't like the attention Seth gave to his daughter, but as the time passed, she found something in common with Ami, making Seth happy. From then on they developed a friendship which was weird but strong.

"And where's Emma?" I asked after a while in silence as we waited for someone to come and tell us how Ami was doing. I also wanted to make a light conversation as the mood was too tense.

"She went hunting, you know she doesn't like hospitals as there's blood everywhere." Seth answered me. In that moment Jared came out to the waiting room, his face was still holding a lot of strain but I could see in his eyes a relief. All of us immediately badger him with questions about Ami.

"Guys shut up, how is she?" Seth asked getting in front of Jared very fast.

"We were able to stop the bleeding and she's stable right now. We're going to leave her overnight to run some other tests and monitor her status." As Jared's words came out of his mouth I felt a sensation of relief engulf me. I knew that sooner or later Ami was going to end up in the hospital, but it actually happening was nerve wrecking. All this time she hadn't eaten a lot, there were days that at least we convinced her to eat a small portions, but other days she would start crying out of control and it was better to leave her alone.

"And what was the cause of the bleeding, was it because she's not eating or something else?" Seth asked still not relaxing a bit.

"Seth sit down please." Jared said motioning to the chairs against a wall. Seth didn't move, just continued looking at Jared with a hard look. "Ok, suit yourself. The reason of the bleeding was Amelia almost had a miscarriage." There were several intakes of breaths coming from the guys, including myself. Seth on the other hand swore really loud making some passing nurses look at him with shameful faces.

"She's pregnant?" I asked breaking the shocking moment.

"Yes, she's being checked right now by our obstetrician. When the doctor's done you'll be able to see her, only two visitors at a time will be allowed." Jared said eyeing the guys. With that he started to leave, Thomas went behind him asking him other questions about Ami.

I looked at Seth and he was still sporting a mortified expression. "All this time since she got married she's been trying to get pregnant and now in the worst time she is." He said finally taking a seat. He placed his head on his arms which rested on his knees.

"She must be devastated, but we have to give her support no matter what." I said sitting next to him. We stayed quiet until a young female doctor came to us.

"Are you Ms. Clearwater's family?" She asked with a sweet voice.

"Yes, I'm her fa… brother." Seth said standing up and giving his full attention to the doctor. To those who were outside of the secret, Seth was Ami's older brother as he couldn't be her father looking so young.

"I'm Dr. López and I'm here to let you know that your sister's pregnancy was put into a high risk. I was inform that she haven't been eating well and that was the major factor of her almost miscarriage. I already did some tests on her and an ultrasound and can tell you that she's six weeks along and the fetuses are in good condition. If she continues with an appropriate diet she won't have any more complications." The doctor finished with a small smile. She hadn't realized our stupefied faces.

"Fetuses?" Finally Seth was able to ask, I was still in shock.

"Oh…" Dr. López said, realizing some big news she had left out. "Ms. Clearwater is carrying twins, they're going to be fraternal, two of her eggs got fertilized and were really visible in the ultrasound. Twin's pregnancy is riskier than a single pregnancy, I already gave her instructions on what to eat and how to take care of herself physically but she also needs a lot of support and someone to help her get through this process as it's not going to be easy."

"When can we see her?" I asked.

"She's been moved to another room, when she's ready a nurse will notify you." With that she left us still shocked.

After a couple of minutes a nurse came and took us to Ami's room. Mathias had left with Thomas to tell the rest of the guys and families about Ami being in the hospital. When we got in the room Ami was lying in the bed in a fetal position, with her back to us. We could hear clearly her sobs as they raked her body. Silently we each took a side by her bed and waited until she calmed down by giving her encouraging words and patting her swiftly.

"I can't be pregnant, it's all a nightmare." Ami finally speaks, her words being cut by her sobs.

"Shhh… it's okay. Everything's going to be fine, we're here for you." Seth said as he sat on the bed and wrapped his daughter in his big arms.

Every time I saw Ami at this state my heart broke. I wished I could have in my hands the power to make her feel better, but I didn't. The power is in her hands and in the hands of that cruel bastard that broke her. I was shaking slightly with all the rage I was feeling, so was Seth. We stayed quiet, just giving company to Ami. Once in a while the silence was broken by her crying or by our deep breathing, Seth as I was trying to keep calm and not phase in the middle of the hospital.

"Dad can I talk to Luke in private?" Ami asked looking at Seth for the first time since we came in the room. Seth hesitated for a moment, looking between Ami and me like trying to see if I knew what she wanted to talk about, which I didn't. He released a deep breath and got up from the bed, I was currently sitting at the end of the bed caressing Ami's feet.

"Okay, I'll be in the cafeteria getting some coffee." He said and left us alone.

"Ami what is it?" I asked once I heard Seth's footsteps disappear. Ami motioned to me to lie next to her, I obliged and waited for her to start talking.

"You know I love you right, you're my big brother." She starts while grabbing my hand and giving it a soft squeeze. "I don't know what to do Luke, I got pregnant when I least wanted to be. I can't do this alone, it's too hard and painful knowing that I'm carrying part of him inside of me. Right now I can barely breathe and my heart is in so much pain." She took a deep breath before continuing. "I want to tell you what he did as the secret is eating me alive bit by bit, I assume Derek didn't tell you before leaving."

"Ami you don't have to." I was scared of what she was about to tell me, not only for what he did, but because I didn't know if I would be able to control my anger in front of Ami. Derek got a job in Seattle and left two days after the incident, not telling anyone the big secret.

"Yes I do, you know everything that concerns me. That night he told me that in the end of our sophomore year he had sex with a girl without her consent…" She stopped and started crying again. I stood up as my whole body was quivering. I couldn't believe what Ami had just said to me, as she said those words the hatred I used to feel towards him engulfed my body and I felt pain. My whole body was burning and the desire to phase and run to where he was and kill him was maddening. The hatred of him taking advantage of girls came back, and I was trapped in my human form not wanting to do something rash.

I could hear Ami speaking weakly in the background, but I didn't dare turn around and face her, instead I stayed next to the only window looking at the sunset. After what seems like hours, which were probably only minutes, I took one last deep breath and turned around. As much as I wanted to lose control, I knew it would upset Ami and I didn't want that.

I took my spot next to her once again and wrapped her in my arms. She was cold, something that changed in her the day she left Kaleb. "You did the right thing in leaving him, he deserves to suffer."

"Really? Then why does everything feel so wrong and out of place. Why do I still worry on how he's doing and where he is? Why do I feel pain when I think of him being in pain, and why do I still love him with all my heart and soul? Tell me Luke, if I did the right thing why is my life so fucked up?" The last part she shouted. Big fat tears covered her face and her breathing was laboriously. For the first time I didn't know how to respond, instead I thought of how I would act if Sophie in a future did something bad or the other way around. Would I, or would she forget the problem and continue caring and loving?

"I'm not done." Ami said bringing me out of my thoughts. For a moment I didn't know what she was referring to, and then it hit me. There was more about Kaleb. "He got her pregnant… and you know what frustrates me, is that when he told me I was mad not for what he did to her, but for getting her pregnant while I thought he couldn't do it to me."

"He has a kid?"

"I don't know if the girl had it." Ami got out of my arms and sat on the bed. "I hate myself because I was jealous that the girl had what I wanted, even if she didn't want it. Does that make me a horrible person as him?" She asked drying her face and looking at my face directly, waiting for my response.

"No, imprinting does wonders, but at the same time can ruin your life. I can't tell you to stop loving him or caring for him, but I will tell you that no matter what you have to take care of yourself. More now that you're carrying two beings inside of you. And know that you're not alone, you have me, Seth, the guys from the pack and all the people connected to our pack." I said grabbing her hands and never stopping to look in her greens eyes. For the first time in a while her eyes shone a little and I knew she was looking at life from a different perspective.

After a while Seth came back, bringing me some coffee and to Ami a donut. We talked about baby plans until all the guys from the pack and families came. Seth and I left the room to let the others have some time with Ami. Lastly came Paul and Rachel and as the rest of us gave her a lot of support. The day after Kaleb left, they went to Seth's house and let Ami know that they were going to help her in anything she needed. They were devastated that their son had left without notification and they had been there for Ami since they split up. Of course they didn't know what Kaleb had done, they just thought it was an argument that went really wrong.

When everyone had talked and spent some time with Amelia, they started to leave slowly. Lastly once again it was Seth and I left with her. It wasn't until she fell asleep that Seth left as he needed to tell Emma all the news. I stayed as I didn't have anything to do at the moment and didn't want to leave Ami alone.

As she slept I couldn't stop thinking about what she had told me about Kaleb. Of one thing I was certain, that no matter how much I hated him at the moment, if one day Ami decides to get back with him, I wasn't going to interfere. I could never hurt him the way I wanted to, as the act would kill her. I knew that no matter what happens you can never stop loving your other half, your soul mate, you just have to embrace the present and live for the future.

~*~

**A/N:**_ Remember to Review and to vote in the poll on my page. Which Bonus Chapter I should do First?? Taylor, Thomas or Mathias???_


	8. Pregnancy

**A/N:** Here is the next chapter, in this one I want to show how Ami changes not only physically because of the pregnancy but also emotionally and mentally. So it can be a little confusing as her mind changes so fast, you have to keep in mind that she's hormonal.

Also I know I haven't answered any of the reviews some of you left me but know that I'm very busy and I'm dedicating my time more to writing the next chapter... so thanks to all of you who always leave me reviews, they mean a lot!!! No Enjoy and tell what you think...

~*~*~*~*~

**Chapter 8: Pregnancy**

**Amelia's POV**

Two Months

Since I found out about my pregnancy it was like being trapped between two worlds. While one was all about suffering, darkness and eternal pain, the other was about happiness and light. I was still in pain for his absence, but at the same time had a reason to continue living and fighting.

My belly was barely showing, but every time I felt my small bump it brought such a glorious feeling in me that tears always wanted to spill. It was like being wrapped around warm arms, the arms I missed so much. No matter how much I hated the thought of what he did at the moment, the worry of not knowing where he was or how he was, was greater in my heart. I was pretending in front of everyone, especially dad and Luke, that I was finally moving on, but I wasn't. Every night I would close my eyes and all I saw was him, his dark brown eyes, they haunted me and instead of seeing him as I liked him best, smiling or with lots of love, I saw him crying and begging me to give him a second chance.

But I couldn't forget, as much as I wanted him in my life, at the moment I couldn't forgive what he did. He was missing, not even in wolf form and no matter how many times I told myself, or others told me that I was better without him, I still wanted him back. Not because he is my imprint, but because I knew he was it for me. I was never going to find someone who I could love so much and love me back with the same or more intensity.

Nobody saw the situation as I did, while some said to me he hadn't change and that he only thought about what he wanted, I said otherwise. I saw him change slowly and become the man I loved so much. If he was still selfish he wouldn't have stop playing with girls or seeking pleasure, he always had the choice to continue his old life, same as me. But we both chose to only love each other no matter what. If he ever decides to come back, I'll give him a second chance, but not as my husband or lover, but as a person. I just wanted to know that he was safe.

All those thoughts ran through my mind everyday as I sat on my windowsill looking at the distant beach. "Hey dinner's ready, are you going to eat now?" Dad poked his head through my doorway, he was sporting a big smile. He had been happy like that since I started eating more and taking care of myself, not because I was pregnant. He would have been excited of becoming a grandpa if I was pregnant of another man. He didn't say it out loud, but I knew he despised the idea of me carrying his babies.

"Yeah" I said, getting off the windowsill and walking to where he was standing. Before he could start walking away, I grabbed him and gave him a big hug. "I love you dad." My voice was breaking a little by only thinking of how my life would be like if I didn't have him or Luke next to me all the time.

"I love you too kiddo." He said returning the pressure of the hug. "Come on, I think Luke just arrived, I can hear him talking to Emma." I chuckled at how weak I felt at not having any of the heightened senses anymore.

Dad was right and Luke was already in the kitchen helping Emma prepare the table. Even though I was fine, Luke still came to visit me at least once a day, usually around dinner time, and if he couldn't do it during the day, he would crawl through my window and spend the night with me.

"Hey, between one and ten how bad is it today?" Luke said his usual greeting.

"Six, I'm still throwing up in the mornings, but at least now after that I'm just queasy and can hold the rest of the food down. And my body is not hurting that much today, my back is feeling a little cramped but that's all." I took a chair next to him and started to play with his hair. He was letting it grow again, but not as long as before. At the moment was touching his jaw.

"That's good." He said giving me a smile and a kiss in my forehead. These past months we've become the old best friends we were before all this supernatural stuff took over our lives.

Emma served us our food, even though she didn't eat, she gained from Esme the love for making food. There were times that she would lose her patience and ended throwing whatever she was making out the window, gaining a weird look from the neighbors but most of the time the food was delicious and all the guys from the pack can say the same.

We started to eat quietly until Emma got bored in watching us eat and started to form small conversations. "So Luke aren't you dating anyone, no special girl?"

Luke stopped chewing and swallowed really hard before answering. "I imprinted on a baby girl, I thought you knew that."

"Yeah I do, but that doesn't mean you can't date until she's all grown up, you know have some fun." Emma said wiggling her eyebrows really fast. Sometimes I would forget that she was a vampire, maybe because I couldn't smell her scent anymore.

Luke chuckled and shook his head form side to side, like trying to get rid of a fly. "I don't know if Seth ever explained this to you, but I don't see other women. I don't have the desire in me to have any kind relationship."

"She knows I only have eyes for her." Dad said ending the conversation about that topic by giving Emma a peck in the lips. "Oh Ami, I was talking to Emma about turning the spare room into a nursery, what do you think?"

"That would be great. The room is across mine so I'll be able to hear the babies clearly if they wake up in the middle of the night." While I talked, I couldn't help rubbing my belly and feel the growing bump.

"Ooh, and maybe you can come with us to Olympia for baby shopping, Alice is going to be so excited." Emma said almost bouncing in her chair.

"No, you and the Cullens don't have to buy anything for the bay, I can handle myself."

"We know, but we want to. You can't refuse a gift, especially if it's given to you in the baby shower."

"What baby shower?" I asked with a tinge of hysteria in my voice. Dad and Luke snorted but continued to eat, they obviously didn't want to get involve.

"The one Alice and I are planning and don't say no as we're still going to do it, right baby?" She asked facing Seth. He became stunned for a second by Emma's sudden attention to him. Dad looked at me and with a guilty smile nodded his head.

I didn't argue as I knew it was a lost case. I continued to stare at dad and Emma's interactions. They were completely opposites, but fit perfectly. Where dad was warm and big, Emma was small and cold. They looked at each other and I saw in dad's eyes how much he loves her. My heart tugged remembering the only person who gave me that exact look, like I was everything he saw and without me he was blind.

I lowered my face as I felt a lone tear fall from my eye. "He's going to come back, I know it. He can't seriously stay away from such a great person as you." Luke whispered in my ear. Dad was still distracted with Emma, but definitely heard what Luke said. He was giving Luke a nasty look, which is why Luke decided to change the subject.

"I went to see Cat today after seeing Sophie. Her hormones are all over the place, she told me that yesterday she asked Embry to bring her pickles with chocolate." We chuckled at the thought, but I still felt the tension coming from dad. The day after I found out I was pregnant, Cat came to visit me and told me she was also pregnant. She was only four weeks pregnant at the time, she hadn't told me scared that I was going to have another breakdown.

"So dad are you prepare for my hormonal outbreaks, you've been lucky I haven't had any so far." I said through a mouthful of food. Dad laughed but I could see in his eyes he was a little scared of what I might do.

We continued with small talk until the three of us finished eating. After we cleaned the kitchen, we went to watch a movie. Luke stayed until the end and left as he had a lot of homework to catch up to. I decided to drop completely from school until I was again in good condition to continue and dad went to the local store I worked on and told the owner I was passing through a rough time. He told dad that when I got better if I wanted the job back, I could have it.

As I rested in my bed later in the night and watched the moon through the open window, once again I couldn't help but think about him and hope he was going to crawl up my window and wrap me in his big warm arms while I fell asleep. But that wasn't going to happen and like every other night since he left, I was going to end up falling asleep with exhaustion while being cold and restless.

~*~

Four Months

"Dad hurry up, I don't want to be late for the appointment." I shouted up the stairs. Today was my first appointment to get an ultrasound and maybe find out the sex of the babies, I still didn't know if I wanted to know or let it as a surprise.

"Damn you're anxious today, is that part of being pregnant?" Dad asked me with a smile playing in his lips. Ever since one night I woke up and had the craving for a cheeseburger, he's been attributing all my weird behavior as to been hormonal. All the times my body asks for something he gets it, but at the same time makes fun of me. Except for one time.

It was the day our first year anniversary was supposed to be. The progress I already made went away, and I stayed all day in bed crying. Only ate what dad brought me because deep inside I felt I needed to take care of the babies, but even the thought of carrying two beings inside of me didn't brought me out of the darkness that engulfed me that day.

"No, I just want to see my babies and know that everything is fine with them." I said gathering a light sweater and heading out the door, dad following me.

Once in the hospital we waited to be called, dad fidgeting a lot. "Why are you so nervous, it's just an ultrasound." I said placing my hand in his knee as it was bouncing.

"Every day that passes I realize more that not only you're going to be connected to him through the imprint, but now you're going to have his babies." Dad finally spoke what's been bothering him since he found out I was pregnant. He was looking at the floor, unable to meet my stunned gaze.

"Our babies, they're also mine. And they're going to be your grandchildren." I said with bitterness in my voice.

"I'm sorry it's just I don't want him in your life."

"Dad if he comes back, what should I do?" I asked not because I didn't know what to do, but because I wanted to know what he wanted me to do.

"If I think as your dad I would say that he doesn't deserve another chance and that you can get better. But as a werewolf who has imprinted, I would say to follow your heart and you won't regret it. And know that I'm just saying this, if I see him I don't know how I'm going to react." I was taken aback by how many emotions were mixed with those words.

"I will always love him and it frustrates me that no one can see that. Everyone wants to kill him and if I give him a second chance I'll be the only one." I remembered the day I finally sat with everyone that constitute the wolf pack and their families and told them the reason why Kaleb and I broke up. I made Luke promised me that he was going to let me tell everyone, which is why no one knew what to expect. It was easier to tell everyone at the same time than have them find out individually and having to explain myself over and over again.

When I told them, some went outside to phase as they couldn't hold the rage, some held the anger but continued to shake badly for a while and even the old ones almost phased, especially Paul as it was his son we were talking about.

At the end of the meeting, after much arguing, it was agreed that if Kaleb decided to return it was my decision that only counted on what actions were going to be taken. Nobody was happy with the agreement, especially dad, but at least I still had their respect.

After a few minutes I was called and was received in an office by a happy Dr. Lopez. "Good morning, hopefully you're eating well as I told you to do."

"Yes, and I'm feeling pretty good. Except for the mornings as I still get sick and nauseous." I said hopping in the hospital bed in the corner. Dad sat on a chair next to her desk and watched intently as the doctor continued asking me questions and started to prepare me for the ultrasound, first putting around my belly a device that made us hear the heartbeats.

My first reaction as I heard them was shocked at how wonderful the sound was for me. Then silent tears started to fall as I realized that the heartbeats belonged to my babies that were growing inside of me.

"Okay let's start." The doctor said cheerfully as she raised my shirt. "This is going to feel cold, but it's not uncomfortable." She warned me before applying the gel in my small bump. Just like she said it was cold, but after a while the sensation went away. With the probe she spread the gel and started to look at the monitor. I wanted to see, so I craned my neck up so I could have a glimpse, she saw me and added. "I'm going to take some measurement first to see the growth of the babies, and then I'll explain properly what you're seeing."

"Okay."

She started to look at the monitor and once in a while tap at the keyboard. After fifteen minutes she stopped moving the probe and looked at me with a gentle smile. "Everything looks fine, I noticed one of the heartbeats is faster than the other but the ultrasound shows no signs of heart problems. It could be that one of the babies is more excited than the other, it's nothing to worry about." She reassured me as I was wearing a worried expression. Dad was also listening to what the doctor was saying and when she explained, he released an air he was holding.

"So everything is alright, no complications? Because I've done some research and read that twins have a higher percentage of being born with conditions." Dad said standing up and getting to the base of my bed.

I was stunned at how worried he was looking and at the fact that he had looked for baby information. That told me he truly cared about the pregnancy and was just acting tough as he was still very mad at what Kaleb did.

Dr. Lopez chuckled a little before answering. "Yes, everything is fine. The measurements shows the babies are growing normally and if things continue like this she'll be able to have a natural labor. Now do you want to see the babies in detail?"

Dad and I nodded our heads with enthusiasm. She moved the monitor a little so I could see it better and started to move the probe once again over my bump. "Okay look here," She pointed at a shape in the monitor. "This is the head of one of them."

At the beginning I couldn't see what exactly she was pointing at, but the focused and could define the profile of one of the babies. A huge smile spread on my face as I saw the little nose and pouting lips. I looked at dad and his eyes were big with wonderment as he saw what I saw.

"And here a little hand." She said moving a bit down my belly. I could see each finger and that brought more tears to my eyes, dad was also crying like me.

The rest of the appointment she showed me the other baby which was to the back so we couldn't see it properly. She asked me if I wanted to know the sex of the babies, but I decided to leave it as a surprise. At the end she gave me some prints and told me to get an appointment for two months to continue with the routine.

"Are you alright?" Dad asked once in the car on our way back home. I was really silent looking at the ultrasound prints, not believing entirely that there were two babies growing inside of me.

"Yeah, I'm just so… overwhelmed."

"And you wished it would have been him there, instead of me." His statement caught me by surprise, my head whipped really fast to face him.

"No dad, I wanted you to be there. I could have asked Luke to go with me, but I asked you and as much as I still feel strongly towards him, he doesn't deserve to be in such a life changing moment as this one." I said seriously so he wouldn't doubt me. He didn't bring the subject again through the whole ride. Instead told me how proud he was finally feeling that he was going to be a grandpa.

Outside of my head and heart the world was finally falling into place and I could see myself living without him. But inside my world was still crumbling and the few pieces that still remained whole were unstable and another blow would break them apart, sending me onto an eternal darkness and suffering.

I knew that if he never returned to my life I would live, but life would not have emotions or a reason to be a full well lived life.

~*~

Six Months

"I'm huge look at it, I can't even see my own feet." I said to Luke as I entered the kitchen with a wobbly rhythm, the only way I could maintain balance. He chuckled a little and gave me a look like I was crazy.

"Where's Seth?" He asked me. Once again dad was with me in an appointment.

"Emma was waiting for him in the porch and they left so she could hunt."

"Oh, so how was the ultrasound, everything's alright?" He asked as I sat in a chair and started to remove my shoes with my own feet, they were really swollen. Another pregnancy discomfort to add to the list, next to back pain, reflux and one of the babies kept kicking my bladder making me go the bathroom very often.

"Yeah everything's good, Dr. Lopez said they're really small, but that's normal when it comes to twins. Which I bet all this is water." I said rubbing my big belly.

"That's good." He finished preparing sandwiches for both of us and was putting them in plates. "Have you started to think of names?"

I shook my head and took a bite of my sandwich as soon as he gave it to me. "I don't know where to start."

"I was in patrol with Embry and he told me that he and Cat had already decided. If it's a girl they're going to name her Katherine and if it's a boy, Krystopher. They're both good names." He said through a mouthful.

"Maybe you can help me in picking a few, at least two names for each, boy and girl. How's Cat anyways, big as me?" I asked as I hadn't seen my best friend in a while. Her pregnancy had some complications and the doctor told her to stay in bed as much possible.

"No, her belly is smaller and I was thinking we can pay her a visit tomorrow so the two of you can talk pregnancy stuff" He said trying to sound annoyed, but I knew he was excited that his two friends were going to have babies not far apart and that I was going to make him an uncle.

"Are you done so I can help you up the stairs?"

"Yes and you don't have to help me, I could go up by myself." I started to get up the chair but my back was cramping making it hard and slow. Without me saying anything, Luke grabbed me and started to carry me out of the kitchen and up the stairs.

"It's not that I have to do it, but that I want to do it." He said as he stopped in front of my room and put me back on my feet. "And I know it's not easy moving around. I remember Cat telling me how cramped she felt for her first pregnancy. I can't imagine how you're feeling with two babies inside of you. Come on let's get you to rest in bed and how about a foot rub?"

I nodded and let him guide me all the way inside my room and helped me get to bed. As he gave me a foot massage, we started to make a list of names. We chose girl names easier and faster. I wanted Elizabeth no matter what and Luke helped in finding Charlotte, after Charlie. The boy names were a little complicated to choose, we already had Daniel, as for the first boy mom was suppose to have, but we got stuck there.

Before the big fight with 'him', I imagined getting pregnant happily and sitting one night with him to discuss the name possibilities. As I was doing it with Luke, my heart panged as I remembered that he wasn't in my life anymore.

"How about Ethan, it's a strong name for a boy." Luke said interrupting my painful thoughts.

"I like it but it doesn't click, like I don't see myself calling my son Ethan. You know what, hopefully it will be a boy and a girl so that way we'll already have the names." I said playfully as I enjoyed the feeling of Luke's hands on my feet.

We continued saying names until we heard voices coming from downstairs. "Don't worry it's the guys."

Into my room came Thomas followed by Mathias, Jayson, Matthew and Cody. "Who's doing patrol?" I asked.

"Oh, I was going to do patrols with Embry but Seth was around with the leech, sorry Emma." Jayson corrected when he saw my angry face. "And you know Seth told me to take the day off as he wanted to do patrol with Embry."

"Okay Jayson, I'm not going to eat you, even though it looks like I could." I said pointing at my big bump. We all laughed really loud as Jayson took a breath and relaxed a little. He was the only one who didn't look like he could belong to the pack. Physically he looks a lot like his mom, really white with light blue eyes, while all of us are tanned skinned with dark eyes, except for Mathias and me.

"And what brings all of you here, I bet all of you have more important things to do?" I didn't mind having them all to keep me company as being distracted meant not thinking a lot about him. The nagging pain in my heart sometimes wasn't that constant or powerful. But there were nights that I would miss him too much and all I could do was get into a fetal position and cry silently as I didn't want dad or Emma to see how broken I still was and will be for the rest of my life.

"No we don't, we just wanted to keep you and the babies some company." Thomas said sitting in the bed next to me and placing a warm hand on my belly. Immediately the baby beneath his hand moved, making an uncomfortable sensation. I took a deep breath so the pressure would subside.

"Did I do something wrong?" Tommy asked with panic in his voice, removing his hand really fast.

"No, just one of the babies moved too fast. Probably just reacting to your warmth, here give me your hand." I grabbed his hand and placed it near my bellybutton.

"Whoa, was that a kick?" He asked with wonder in his eyes. The other guys, who were sitting in the floor, also looked attentive and with wonder.

"Yep, that one is the one who keeps kicking my bladder in the middle of the night so I have to go to the bathroom all the time." We all laughed, enjoying the light moment. We hadn't received big vampire attacks since the coven of the south, but every once in a while nomads would stop by making the guys have to be in constant patrols around the clock, especially lately since I wasn't phasing and he wasn't missing.

The guys took turn in touching my belly, to some the babies moved but to others nothing happened. Mathias in particular, when he touched me, I felt a strong pressure in the pit of my belly and after a while one of the babies kicked really hard his hand. They were also fascinated by the heartbeats, which they could hear perfectly. I remembered the first time they were heard, Luke was paying me a visit like every other day and after a while in my room he got his ear on my stomach telling me he could hear the heartbeats.

"Are you sure there are only two babies in there, that's a big belly." Matthew said with awe as he caressed it.

"Yeah…" I was going to say more when there was an earsplitting, hair rising howl. The guys stood really fast and started to look out the windows.

"That's Seth, do you think its vampires?" Luke said removing his shirt like the rest of the guys were doing. There was another howl and all the hairs on my arms and back of the neck stood on end. I started to tremble and my heart gave a hard tug making me dizzy. I recognized that howl anywhere, it was Kaleb.

The guys started to file out of my room and out of the house. I couldn't move as the pain I've been suppressing all these months came back double, even triple. I was hyperventilating, left all alone and defenseless with a huge belly.

"Are you alright?" I looked at my doorway and standing there was Mathias. "You recognized the howl?" He asked me. I nodded unable to speak as my chest was heaving out of control. He came to my side and sat on the bed, holding me in his arms. "It's okay, everything's going to be fine."

"They're going to kill him." I said through sobs, finally voicing out loud one of my many fears. No matter how much I hated what Kaleb did, a world without him was unimaginable. I would fall in a black hole and would not be able to come out.

I was crying out of control, once in awhile pain would shot through my whole body, letting this guy who I knew little about hold me and keep me from falling apart. "Why did you stay behind?"

"I don't know. Everyone left in a rush, I was probably the only one who noticed you having a panic attack. I prefer to stay here with my alpha than be out there doing whatever they're doing." He said with bitterness in his voice. Another set of howls covered the air and once again my body shook out of control.

"You were the only one in the pack who actually liked him." I said through sobs as the howls stopped.

"Yeah, I know he was a jerk in high school and trust me I wasn't noticed but I saw things from the sidelines. But he has changed a lot, he has actually become a caring man who would do anything to keep the love of his life happy."

"What are you saying?" I asked moving a little so my head was resting on his naked chest, I was appreciating the warmth.

"What he did is unacceptable and horrible and keeping it from you was even worst. But he kept it a secret only thinking of you and how you would react, what would you think of him. Also we were all teenagers, he was still a kid no matter how much experience he had with women. You're throwing away the best that has happened to you, I wish I could imprint, but it's never going to happen to me." He finished his small speech and I realized there was silence, no more howling interrupted the quiet.

I didn't realize that I was crying no more, Mathias' talking had calmed and put me to think about what he just said. Then something he said clicked in my head, I got out of his arms and faced him. "Why do you say you won't imprint, it can happened to any of you guys."

He stayed silent, I could see in his green eyes he was thinking how to answer me best. "Because I don't think it'll be possible to imprint on a guy and I definitely don't want to imprint on a woman." He talked so freely that I choked with my own spit.

"What, you're gay?" I asked with a little of disbelief and amusement in my voice.

"Yes."

"How come no one knows?" I was stunned. He had been in the pack a year and a half and no one knew about his sexual preferences.

"First, none of you paid close attention to my thoughts as they're always kind of depressing. Second, I've only had one boyfriend and I don't think about him or things we did together. You know there are no gay men here in La Push and if there are, they're well hidden in a closet. And thirdly I'm not the type of gay that acts like a girl, I like being manly." We looked at each other for while in silence until at the same time started to laugh really loud. He was laughing because of the funny way he explained his secrecy and I because I needed to let out some of the tension that was threatening to get out of my system in the form of more tears. It has been a while since I heard his howl, and no one was coming to tell me what was happening. Was he hurt? I didn't think so as I would have felt it.

Mathias sensed my impatience and talked. "Do you want me to go out there and check what's going on?"

"No stay with me. I don't want to be alone." I said grabbing his arm so he wouldn't dare move from my side.

We stayed talking about his only relationship until we heard the door downstairs open. I immediately looked to my doorway, my hand in my belly as the babies started to move, guess they felt my change of mood once again.

There were footsteps on the stairs and into my room came Luke followed by dad. "Sorry for leaving you alone but…" Luke started but I interrupted him.

"Where is he, is he okay?" Was the only thing I wanted to know. Luke and dad exchanged a scowl before speaking.

"Amelia can I talk to you alone?" Dad came into the room, as he was standing against the doorway, and sat on the end of my bed. Mathias gave me a look and I nodded.

After he left with Luke, dad started to talk immediately. "He's right now with Paul and Rachel, they wanted to have a serious conversation with him before anything else."

"But he's alright, none of the guys hurt him, or Emma?"

"Emma caught his scent first, she cracked some of his bones but it was nothing serious or you would have felt it. The guys were thinking of hurting him too, but they respect your wishes more." He said with bitterness in voice. I felt relief and knowing he was near numbed the pain in my heart a little.

"Does he know about me being pregnant?"

"Yes, he saw it in our heads. Amelia I don't want him to see you, he's going to…" Dad stopped and looked out the window. I didn't have to ask him what was happening to know, I felt the pull that connects me to him intensify and knew he was close, very close.

"I told him to stay away." Dad growled to himself, I've never seen him like that and for a moment felt scared. "You will not see him." He shouted and stomped out of the room.

I heard a commotion downstairs, dad and the guys shouting. With a lot of effort I stood from my bed and started to get downstairs. I was halfway down the stairs when I saw him. If it wasn't for my heart tugging towards him, I wouldn't realize it was him. His eyes were sunken, no life could be seen in them, and the same were his cheeks, making his cheekbones stand out. His clothes were hanging on his body, as he obviously had lost a lot of weight, his hair was long, below the chin and he had stubbles all over the beard area.

"Amelia" My heart stopped.


	9. Never Give Up!

**Chapter 9: Never Give Up!**

**Kaleb's POV**

"Amelia" Her name came from between my lips as soon as I saw her standing in the stairs. The memory of her hadn't done justice, she was more beautiful than I remembered.

I thought I could stay away and leave her alone like she asked me, but everyday that passed was torture and I kept feeling the nagging sensation that she needed me. At first I stayed in wolf form, avoiding thinking as a human and ignoring everyone's thoughts, but even like that the pain was torturing me to insanity.

One day I woke up and realized I needed to do something before starting to try to get my Ami back. It wasn't an easy feat, but after four months of searching and tracking, I found her, the girl I took advantage of.

She was living in Montana and was married for two years to a respectable man. When I asked her about that night and the pregnancy, she hesitated and after a while told me she had left that kind of life behind. Apparently it was normal for her to get wasted and drunk in parties, guys usually taking advantage of her. That fact didn't change the guilt I still felt inside, just because it was normal for her doesn't mean I didn't take advantage of her. Getting her pregnant was the first step in her life changing. The second step was losing the baby. She told me she has been trying to get pregnant with her husband, but the doctors told her there was a slight chance.

I wanted to get back to Ami after I found out I wasn't a father and as very soon was suppose to be our first year anniversary, but I needed to find out first why I fell in love with her putting aside the imprinting factor. So I stayed on the outskirts of Forks alone, living in a tacky motel room and only phasing when I got hungry and needed to hunt.

I knew the day I decided to head back, the guys were going to attack me, either on purpose or accident, but I wasn't expecting an angry vampire. I guess I should be thankful to Seth when he stopped Emma from killing me, but his eyes told me it took a lot of his will to do it.

In minutes I was surrounded by the whole pack and for the first time I was scared of my own brothers. In the darkness I could see their eyes shining and hear their growls as they bumped against each other with uneasiness. Their thoughts showed their knowledge of what I did, but what caught my attention immediately were the images of Ami with a huge belly.

_She's pregnant? _I asked with a lot of emotions running through my body, but the one more noticeable was an unknown happiness.

_You don't get to be happy or see her again. _Seth shouted. His wolf form got close to me really fast and he started growling in my face. I could see the hatred clearly in his eyes. Emma was behind Thomas and Luke, hissing and in a crouch position, she was obviously not attacking for Seth's sakes. The ribs she broke were throbbing and stinging but I could feel them healing.

_I want to talk to her, explain everything thoroughly and most of all make everything possible to gain her trust back._

_You have any idea what you did to her? _Seth shouted once again. Between him and the others, showed me images of my Ami in a state of nothingness. It was like watching her body without her soul in it. I let out a howl, in it I could feel all the pain I had caused her.

The rest of the time the guys told me I wasn't allowed to see her. I decided to head to my old house and talk to mom and dad instead. I wanted to explain everything to them, but when I saw their ashamed faces I knew I needed to explain things first to Ami, then to them. So that's how I ended in Seth's house looking at my everything in the middle of the stairs.

"Amelia go back to your room." Seth said sternly without stopping to look at me. Ami didn't move, just kept staring at me. "Luke help her get upstairs and stay there with her until I get rid of him." I was furious at the way Seth was speaking at Ami, like she couldn't speak for herself.

"No, I'm not your little girl to tell what to do. I just want to talk to him." When I heard her voice, my heart soared with glee. _She wants to talk to me._

"I don't want you talking to him, go to your room Amelia." Seth shouted once again. Luke was standing at the base of the stairs, looking between Seth and Ami, like trying to find what to do.

"I'm tired of pretending." Ami said in a whisper. She looked at Seth directly and I saw in her eyes how broken she still was. I wanted to go to her and grab her in my arms and never let her go. I wanted to rip all the pain from her body and substitute it with love, but I stayed in my spot afraid of making things worse. "I've been hiding how I truly feel because of you, but it's over, I'm done with acting and hiding. It hurts dad, being away from him hurts a lot. I can't breathe well and at night I barely sleep…" She stopped and grabbed her stomach, releasing a gasp.

The three of us moved at the same time. I wanted to get to her, but Seth grabbed me by the arm and held me back. A growl escaped my lips, but I stopped as I remembered Ami and the danger she might be in. Luke was by her side checking if she was fine.

"Kaleb you better leave, you're making things worse." Seth growled at me.

"Dad I'm alright." Ami talked. My head snapped to look at her, she was still holding her belly but the pain was gone as I couldn't feel it anymore. "The babies just feel my stress and tend to move really fast. I'm going to talk to him alone, you can stay in the kitchen with Luke while we talk in the living room."

Seth hesitated for a bit but saw the determination in Ami's eyes and gave up. He went with Luke to the kitchen but before gave me a warning look, I could hear grumbling coming from his throat. I stayed in my spot just looking at Ami, waiting for her to make the first move. She couldn't look at my eyes and that pained me. Before she took a step down the stairs I was there to help her, my body had acted without my permission.

"I can do it on my own." She said rejecting my extended arm. I slouched my shoulders and stayed close by as she descended the remaining stairs. I could hear Luke and Seth having an argument in the kitchen. While Seth was fuming about my coming here, Luke was telling him that Ami deserves a say in the matter and that she can take care of herself.

Once in the living room, Ami took a spot in the big sofa, getting comfortable by putting cushions in her back and tucking her legs in her side. All the time I craved to help her and feel her skin in mine, see if I could still remember the softness of it, but didn't do anything afraid I was going to push her away. Instead I sat on the cushioned chair next to the sofa and waited for her to start talking.

She still didn't meet my eyes as she took a deep breath, getting ready to start speaking. "Where were you?" She whispered.

"At the beginning I ran almost to the Canada borderline, the I went to Montana, spent there some weeks, then I came back and have been in the outskirts of Forks ever since." I said sincerely. I knew that if I wanted to win her back, being open with her and no secrets was the first step.

"Why Montana?"

"While I was alone I realized that I needed to know what happened to the girl I took advantage of. I knew her whole family had moved there so I asked questions here and there until I found them." I took a pause to see if Ami wanted to ask something else, but she continued playing with the fringe of her shirt while still looking down.

"Fortunately she was living near them and…"

"You saw your kid?" She asked as her heart started to beat really fast.

"No, I'm not a father after all. She lost the baby when she was five moths along, a side effect of doing drugs for a long period of time. This doesn't change or justify what I did, but she used to get wasted at parties and end up having sex with random guys all the time. That night it just happened to be me and I was the only one to get her pregnant."

I could see in her posture she was taking in all that I have said. My own heart was beating hard waiting for her reaction, is she going to give me a second chance or decide she's better without me. As I waited I concentrated on my favorite sound in the world, her heartbeat, which was now accompanied by a few low thudding. I assumed it was the babies' heartbeats.

I remembered the day Ami told me she wanted to get pregnant. I was scared that it was too soon, but she insisted it was the right time. Now the weight of bringing two innocent beings to this world was really heavy. It wasn't fair to bring them to this world were our lives were crumbling and falling into oblivion.

"Why didn't you come back any sooner if you found her so fast?" I could hear the nervousness in Ami's voice, but couldn't see why she was so nervous of my answer.

"I needed to stay away from you and think clearly why I fell in love with you. Also the pain I felt all the time was my punishment for what I did to you." I said looking at her profile. Her green eyes were dancing from side to side, not seeing anything, like trying to find the answer to all her problems.

"And why did you fell in love with me, was it only because of the imprinting?" Her voice was cracking and a small tear fell from her eye.

It was my time to stay quiet for a while and think how to answer best. "No, I thought I fell in love with you that day we imprinted, but I didn't. It happened the day you found out Seth is your father. That day I really saw you for the first time, all vulnerable…"

"You fell I love with me because I'm weak." It wasn't a question, more like a statement and it scared me how defeated her voice was sounding.

"No, I saw how life hasn't been fair for you either and had made you insecure in some aspects. But you kept fighting and be strong where I gave up. I became a wall that no one could go through and see the real me. I was cruel and didn't care what harm I did to others, but you awoke compassion in me while I made you feel secure of yourself. You were the first one who climbed my wall and entered my heart. I fell in love with you because you complete me in ways no one else can and had never given up on me."

Her head snapped up and finally her eyes met mine, they were brimming with tears. Without thinking I stood up and sat near her legs. My hand extended and wiped the tears that had escaped her eyes. "I never stopped loving you or caring for you, even though I was hurting and hating everything you did to me. My whole world crumbled and I resurfaced the day I found out I'm pregnant." Her voice kept breaking with sobs that shook her chest violently. I wanted to hold her and make her feel better, but I didn't want to cross the line and ruin the small progress we've made. I stayed still watching her get all the sadness out of her system, while savoring the pain I felt for not helping her.

"What's going to happen to us?" I dared to ask.

"I want you near me, it's too painful not to have you in my life and the babies are going to need their father." She started while stopping to cry a little. My heart skipped at the thought that she wanted me back in her life. "But I can't have you back as my husband and lover. I can't forget that easily how you kept secrets and didn't care about what I wanted, you broke the trust I had in you and it's not going to be restored with just love or your new sincerity." One last tear fell from her eye and I took in my finger, lingering for a while in her soft face, marveling at how beautiful she was.

It was amazing how quickly I rose to cloud nine as she told me she wanted me back in her life but with the same speed I fell to the earth as I heard her say she couldn't accept me again as her husband.

"Okay." I said surprising myself at how well my voice sounded even though I felt like my chest was splitting in half. I knew it wasn't going to be that easy to win her back, but hearing her say it out loud made it official, so the pain became real again.

"Keep this at least." I said getting from my neck the chain that contained my biggest treasures, the engagement and wedding rings. "You don't have to wear them but at least keep them close to your heart. They reminded me every day I was away why I should keep living."

She took the rings without saying a word and hanged them from her own chain, which was still holding the green rock I gave her for her first birthday with me, her mother's pendant and the little brown wolf I gave her last year.

"So do you know the sex of the babies?" I asked trying to change the mood that surrounded us.

"No, I wanted to keep it a surprise. But I know they're healthy with all that has happened. Here give me your hand." She took it without waiting for me to react and placed it on top of her womb, under the bellybutton. A tingling sensation went through my fingers to all my body.

"This one here moves a lot and when it stretches makes a really uncomfortable sensation, especially when my bladder is involved." Just in that moment I felt movement and then a poke in the palm of my hand. I chuckled at the realization that my babies were in there and a single tear went down my cheek. "And this one here…" She moved my hand up, under her breast. "That one is really serene but when all the guys are around making a lot of noise, tends to move a lot, especially if Mathias is near, I don't know why." With her other hand, Ami reached for my face and dried the tear.

"You said one of them reacts to Mathias? Do you think it's a girl and he's going to…?" I couldn't say the word imprint. My blood boiled at the thought of one of the guys imprinting in one of my possible girls. They weren't born yet and I was already feeling overprotective.

Ami laughed really loud making my heart grow with how happy she sounded. It has been such a long time since I've heard that beautiful sound. "What?" I asked trying to contain my own laughter.

"Well I don't think Mathias is going to imprint, he's gay." She said trying to regain her breath.

"What? No way, why I didn't know that?"

"No one knew, he never thought about it during patrols. Everyone found out because he told me and decided to be open about it and told the rest of the guys."

We continued laughing and she told me what has happened since my departure until the moment was interrupted by Seth entering the living room followed by Luke and Emma. One look from Emma told me she was still straining from not attacking me, probably she didn't want to risk upsetting Amelia.

"Well time's up." Seth said clapping his hands.

"I'm not a little girl dad who has curfew." Ami hissed.

"Yeah I know and you need to remember that he lied to you all these years. You have to make him understand that it's not going to be easy to get back with you." Ami was looking at Seth with murderous eyes. She took her hand from mine and started to stand up. Luke came and helped her up, something I guess he got accustomed to do.

"I do remember everything all the time, every minute of the day I remember how fucked up my life is. What I need from you is support as my dad, not to tell me what to do and how to act. Just because I was heartbroken and now I'm pregnant doesn't mean I don't know how to take care of myself, I'm not useless. And just because I'm not phasing anymore doesn't mean I'm not Alpha and you're still my second dad." The argument was turning into shouting and I could see Ami getting stressed out, something that wasn't good for the babies.

"Ami you need to calm down, this is not good for the babies." I said standing up and walking to where she was standing with Luke. Our eyes met and once again she calmed as our worlds clashed and fought to stay together, but I knew my presence was making the situation worse. "I better leave, I still have to talk to mom and dad."

"Yeah you better leave, that's the best thing you've done so far." Emma said with venom in her voice.

"I'll come tomorrow." With that I tore my eyes from Ami, feeling the searing pain consume my chest once again, especially as I saw that Ami started to cry in Luke's arms. I wished I could be the one holding her, but at least I left with the thought that she still wants me in her life, even if it isn't as her husband or lover.

When I got home mom and dad were in the kitchen table talking animatedly about how they were going to deal with me. When they saw me, they got quiet and waited for me to sit in the dining table with them.

"You're not grandparents, well you're going to be because of Ami, but the girl lost the baby so I'm not a father." I said breaking the tense silence.

"What?" Dad asked through clenched teeth. It has been a while since I'd seen him in the verge of losing control and even though I was an adult I was still scared of him.

"I looked for her and found her in Montana. She told me she had a miscarriage…" I continued to tell them the whole story including what I used to do and how I treated girls. Dad was shaking slightly through the whole explanation, while mom held his hand with teary eyes. I was feeling like the worst person in the world, making my parents upset was not a pleasant feeling.

"I know I'm not the son you raised and you must be so ashamed of me but I'm changing slowly. I know I can't change or erase the past but…" My voice broke as my throat constricted and my chest heaved violently. All the tears I've been holding came out and I couldn't control them. I felt like a little kid crying in front of his parents because he fell and scraped his knee.

Mom stood up and wrapped me in one of her motherly warm hugs. "You can build a new life, start over and not make the same mistakes again."

"But she's never going to want me back no matter what I do. I broke our relationship, it's over between us." I said through sobs still clinging to mom's small figure.

"No it's not over because she still loves you." Dad finally spoke. "And you will continue trying to get her back because that's your job as a wolf that imprinted. Nobody said that imprinting was easy, trust me all of us had to fight to get where we are, you just have to be strong and keep your heart set on the goal." I had never heard him speak so strongly and from the heart.

"You're right dad it's just that she told me she wants me in her life but not as her husband and that hurts a lot." I said finally releasing mom and drying my eyes.

"Okay I'm glad that all is in the open but that doesn't mean we're not mad at you or you won't receive punishment. As you're already an adult and don't live under my roof, I'm letting Seth decide what the punishment is going to be. He'll probably just make your life miserable and make you do patrols all the time so you won't have time to see Amelia, but that's not bad." Dad said chuckling a little at the end.

After a while we decided I was going to stay over the night as mine and Ami's house hasn't been used in months and I really didn't want to stay there alone so soon.

Without realizing my life fell into a routine. I would wake up in the mornings do patrols. In the afternoons went to my new job, as I was fired from the previous one, Embry had opened a garage in the outsides of La Push and decided to give me position no matter Seth's complaints that I should suffer more without a job. After work I would go home to eat something, work a little on the baby room I was making in the spare bedroom and then spend a few minutes with Ami before going to patrol again. Dad was right, Seth was doing everything possible to keep me away from Amelia. Every time one of the guys couldn't do patrol, he would give the round to me instead.

The few minutes I spend with Ami, we would talk about how her day was related to the babies, how I was doing so far, but we never touched the subject of our status or where our feelings were. Also we were never alone, there was always either Luke or Seth around or one of the guys from the pack. But I didn't mind it at all as long as I spent those minutes listening to her voice and looking at her beautiful face, knowing she was alright brought calmness to my body and that's all I needed.

~*~

**A/N:** _Okay I don't have much to say, just that I'm glad that many people are liking how things are going and thanks to all of you who always gives me support. Secondly remember that the poll is still up... **Which bonus chapter I should do first??** Taylor, Thomas and Mathias... It'll probably close in two to three weeks, so Vote!!_

_Also after this chapter things are going to get slower... right now I was posting every two days because I already had written up to chapter 9, but things caught up and I'm still writing chapter 10. I usually the my time writing the chapter so from now on be patient... the next chapter is already finished but I'm still editing it and passing it to Word...  
_


	10. A Day Full of Surprises

**A/N:**_ Finally here is the next chapter. Sorry I took so long but I was suffering from a major writer's block, maybe seeing so many half naked men in New Moon had killed too many of my neurons. Well coming back to the story, Ami is finally giving birth and this chapter is full of surprises... _

_Also thanks to all of you who review and give me support, I'm very happy. The poll is still open and there's a tie between Taylor and Thomas so those of you who haven't voted, go after reading the chapter and vote for who do you want as a bonus chapter... a lot of you told me who you prefer through the reviews, hopefully you actually voted in the poll as otherwise it doesn't count... _

_Thirdly, this A/N is turning really long but... I posted some pics in my Webs Page of some things from this chapter and also a new folder of the characters I use from Twilight and how I see them. Some of them are as the movies have them, but others are how I see them... (Quil). So go and check them out, the link is on my profile._

_**Oh and fourthly, all reviews are highly appreciated, remember more reviews= me writing faster...**_

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**Chapter 10: A Day Full of Surprises**

**Amelia's POV**

"Luke are you sure the dress is going to close?" I murmured to Luke while rubbing my huge belly. He was helping me get dressed as Emma was too busy helping Alice on the last preparations. I've always been very comfortable with Luke, which means he's the one who helps me in situations as getting dressed.

As for why is Emma helping Alice? They both took the responsibility to put together the baby shower and as always they needed to make everything perfect. They even chose my outfit, which was a pretty dress but I was afraid it wasn't going to fit, I was already eight months pregnant and extremely huge. I was wondering if I was actually carrying two babies.

The dress was cream color, with a v-neck and a black bow beneath my breast. I was wearing underneath black leggings and silver ballerina flats. My hair was in a loose ponytail with a big white flower on the side.

"Of course the dress is going to close." Luke said zipping the dress closed. "I'm done look in the mirror." I stood in front of the body length mirror and stared at my reflection.

"Do you think I look good?" I asked in a small voice.

"Yeah you look cute, especially with the flower." Luke answered me while tying his hair in a ponytail in the base of his neck.

"Just cute, not sexy or…" I said picking at the seams of the dress. Luke started to chuckle but stopped when he saw my drawn face.

"Is this about Kaleb?" My heart jumped by the mention of his name and it was impossible to hide my reaction from Luke, he knew me too well.

"Maybe." I said with a little smile. Luke looked at me like I was avoiding the question. "Okay, yes. I just want to look good. He's been coming to see me and I've only been wearing my pajamas or some shirt and pants."

"Then yeah, you look like a beautiful very pregnant woman, you're even glowing." He said placing his big hands on my shoulders.

"I don't even know why I bother, it's not like dad is going to let me be with him properly, he's always getting in the way." I said bitterly.

"Ami I know I've been helping Seth in keeping Kaleb away and you don't like that, but I'm doing it because I don't want him to do it again. I can't see you in the state he left you , it's too painful." He said giving me a kiss in the head. I knew how bonded we were, but hearing the way he protects me always constrict my heart and makes me feel so overwhelmed. "Come almost everyone must be here waiting for you."

"Thanks Luke this is why I love you so much. But you know what, now everything's different. When I see him or his around, I feel at peace and my world makes sense, but the ground beneath my feet doesn't tremble like before. It's like I'm starting to know him again in a normal way as I know how to control the imprint pull. Oh and he didn't leave me, I told him to go and let me be." Luke looked at me with big eyes, it has been a while since I talked with such force and determination.

After a while he didn't say anything and we headed to the backyard were the baby shower was being held. I put my coat on and headed to the tent that was propped there. As it was mid-November, Alice placed heaters on the four points of the tent so inside was warm and toasty. There were banners running from one side to the other that said "Congrats for the Babies." Or "You're going to be a Mommy", all Alice and Emma's doing.

Tables were placed in the shape of a "C" and in the center was a big table with the gifts and two chairs. One had a plaque that read "Twins??" and was decorated with blue and pink flowers. As no one knew the sex of the babies the decorations were either blue or pink.

Just as Luke had said almost everyone who was invited was there. From the Cullens only Carlisle, Esme, Jasper and of course Alice were there. Rosalie and Emmet were traveling around South America while Bella and Edward were visiting Jacob and Nessie in Paris. They were in a corner talking to Seth and Emma. Even though the tension between the pack and them wasn't that visible, it was still there, our sole purpose would always be to kill the leeches.

The old wolf pack with their families were there and also the new pack as I told dad it would be good to have a day off. Of course the older ones were sitting together conversing loudly while the young ones sat apart making jokes and having a good time.

I started to say hello to everyone and letting them touch my belly, fortunately the babies were probably sleeping as they were very still. When Mathias came to me and immediately placed his warm hand on top of the bump, I couldn't help but wonder if he was actually going to imprint on my possible girl. I decided not to give it a lot of thought and let it to fate, if it happened then I'll accept it.

Lastly I went to where Catlyn was sitting with Embry and grabbing her leg was the small Élan sucking his thump with content. Every day that passes he was looking more like Embry, from his long, skinny body to his straight black hair that was reaching his chin.

"Hey how's the baby?" I asked as I knew she was having complications.

"It's good. I had an appointment two days ago and the doctor said that the placenta is holding up so I can at least get out of bed and have a life." Cat answered while with one hand rubbing her stomach and the other holding Embry's hand.

I looked at their hands and wished it was me sitting with Kaleb while just holding his hand, but that wasn't possible at the moment. Not only because dad would get mad, but because he wasn't still there.

"That's great, hopefully we'll have them at the same time. And what about you Élan, excited to have a little brother?" I asked bending a little so the boy would see me better. Unlike me, Cat decided she wanted to know what she was having and found out it was another boy.

Élan just nodded his head and started to look around. Claire and Quil had arrived with Sophie in her dad's arms while Claire held baby Michal. "Élan look Sophie just arrived, why don't you go and play with her." Cat said patting her son in the little shoulder. He very fast started to run to where Quil was placing Sophie in the ground. I could see Luke's eyes immediately setting on his imprint as he talked with Thomas. I kept looking at the tent's entrance waiting for his figure to appear, but he didn't.

"He's still at the garage. Embry left him finishing some paperwork, he'll probably be here soon." Cat said as she noticed my staring. Embry realized what we started to talk about and stood up, giving us some privacy. "Do you miss him? I don't know how I would live without Embry."

I just nodded afraid that someone was listening to our conversation. I knew that dad's decision to keep me away from Kaleb was his way of protecting me, but I was becoming a prisoner of my own feelings.

"Every day."

"Everyone will get over it eventually and leave the two of you alone to solve your problems, just be patient." She said patting my shoulder with affection. We stayed in silence until Alice came and told me to sit in my chair as soon I was going to start opening the gifts.

I did as she told me and from my chair watched what everyone was doing. Once in a while someone would come and ask me how the babies were doing or how I was feeling. I was talking to Andy when Cat came to my side. "Look who just arrived." She said pointing to the tent's entrance.

My breath caught in my throat like every other time I saw him. I know what I said to Luke, but deep inside it was all a lie. The ground did shake underneath me every time he was around and I had to use all my strength as not to jump him and devour his juicy lips. The day he came back I was shocked so my feelings didn't show that strong, but the next day when I saw him with his hair short again and shaved, my insides burned and I felt like I've imprinted once again. I've been hiding my true feelings because it would mean looking weak in the eyes of almost everyone, especially dad.

Of course I still didn't forget what Kaleb did and the cause of why we split up, but the thought of not having him in my life was more horrible. I didn't want to look weak, but in my mind and heart weakness was giving up on the man I love.

"Can you please stop drooling, people are going to notice." Cat brought me out of my state. I shook my head, trying to get my head clear of the most amazing creature I've seen. Kaleb was just wearing dark fitted jeans with a light grey t-shirt, but he could have been wearing a sack and would still look perfect in my eyes.

"I'm not drooling, just appreciating the view." I said as my eyes strayed again to Kaleb as he made his way to me, stopping first when dad said something to him. Kaleb shook his head and murmured something back. In moments like this I wished I still had my heightened hearing so I could listen to what they were saying.

"Yeah the view is really FINE…" Cat elongated the last word while checking out Embry with heavy lidded eyes. We laughed out loud at our odd conversation, only stopping when Kaleb stood in front of us. Cat got up and went to stand next to Embry, who was talking to Carlisle and Jasper and Andy left to sit next to Thomas.

"How are my favorite people in this world?" Kaleb asked taking the seat next to me and placing a warm hand on my belly. Immediately I felt a surge of electricity passed from him to me and the babies started to move, like recognizing their daddy.

"We're fine. I think they got excited that their father is finally here, can you feel them?" I asked placing my hand next to his. I wanted to put it on top of his but I felt all eyes on us and didn't want to create a reason for someone to get mad.

"Yeah and hear them too." We smiled softly at each other as my little finger brushed slightly against his thumb.

"Okay I want everyone's attention here." Alice's shrill voice interrupted our moment. I took my hand away and saw a shadow of sadness pass across Kaleb's features, but disappeared really fast when he looked at me with a big smile. "I think it's time for Amelia to start opening the presents now that the daddy is finally here." Alice continued almost bouncing up and down.

I saw how dad looked at Alice at the mention of Kaleb's importance of being in there. He saw me staring at him and changed his scowl into a smile.

Alice started arranging the gifts and handing them to me. She started with the ones in bags, Emma and Emily helping her. Alice was moving really fast, the vampires could act as they normally did as it was arranged that the secret was not going to be kept for the next generation.

Most of the gifts were clothes, diapers and baby wipes but there were others that I liked a lot. Kim gave me a bunch of knitted onesies from all variations of colors, Emily a couple of blankets with wolf prints in it, she told me when Luke was little he had one just like them. Rachel and Paul bought the double stroller, which included the car seats, even Luke gave me a baby album so I could start filling it with the babies' memories.

Dad and Emma had to take me back inside the house for their gift. I knew it was the baby room, but I hadn't seen the work they'd done to it. I was stunned at how beautiful it was, the walls were an opaque yellow and the ceiling blue with clouds drawn on it. A big crib was placed under one of the white windows, the changing table and small dresser in the opposite wall and next to the other window a rocking chair.

"There are still some final details to add, but the main stuff is finished. Oh and look." Dad said turning off the light. He had put fluorescent starts in the ceiling making a nice starry sky effect.

"I love it dad, thanks a lot." I said giving him a big hug and to Emma too.

"It's nothing, I want my grandkids to have a nice place to sleep."

We went again to the tent as the Cullens still had to give me their gifts. If I would have let them, they would have given me everything that was needed for the babies, but I told them strictly that I wasn't going to accept anything too expensive or unnecessary.

"I also have a gift you know." Kaleb said as Alice went to get her gift. He had helped me opening the gifts silently and those were his first words since we started.

"Kaleb you didn't have to, you're the father." I said facing him.

"It's something I wanted to do. You'll see it after all this ends and I already talked to Seth, he's going with us for just in case." I only nodded my head as Alice came forward with two big boxes, followed by Esme who had an assortment of small boxes that she placed in Kaleb's lap.

"Open mine first…" Alice started but Jasper cleared his throat and she smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, Jasper also helped me pick these, just open one box as the other is the same." She continued pushing forward one of the boxes.

I started to rip the wrapping slowly until the guests started to get desperate making me go faster. I gasped as I saw it was a bassinet with many features. I was thinking of buying two simple ones so the babies could sleep in my room for the first weeks in case they woke up a lot during the night, but now I didn't have to as Alice had thought about it beforehand.

"Thanks a lot, these are nice." I said reading in the box what the bassinets included.

"Oh its nothing compared to all the things I wanted to buy, but Seth told me not to go over my head as you were going to be upset. And as I can't see your future, I didn't want to risk it." Alice said with her high pitched voice, making those who know her well laugh or chuckle.

We ate after all the presents were opened, Esme and Carlisle gave us an assortment of fancy baby clothes and shoes, I really liked them a lot. Around five everyone started to leave and after a while I was on my way with dad, Kaleb and Luke to my own house, the place I hadn't seen since that day.

I was scared of seeing it again as there were good and bad memories lingering in the walls. I was sitting in the back of Kaleb's truck with Luke and he must have sensed my tense mood as he grabbed my hand and gave it a squeeze.

Finally I saw the tiny road that led to the house, it was almost covered by overgrown grass but at least the patch in front of the house was clear. Only the porch light was on making the house look eerie.

Dad and Kaleb got out first and waited for Luke to get me down. I was expecting the house to be unstable and ugly like mine and Kaleb's situation, but it was still beautiful and full of warmth.

I went in slowly, dad always keeping himself between us, looking around at everything I've left behind. All was still the same, except here and there were signs that a man had been living there alone.

"Luke why don't you cover Ami's eyes until she's in front of it, I want it to be a surprise. I would do it but…" Kaleb said as he turned all the light on. It was funny how he left the last part hanging and gave dad a side look. Dad just ignored him and continued looking around the house.

Luke approached me and I looked at him like daring him to cover my eyes, I didn't like to feel vulnerable. "Come on Ami, it's just until down the hall." He said getting closer.

"Okay." I grumbled as he got behind me and placed his big hands over my eyes. I felt someone grab my hand, I thought it was Kaleb and my heart fluttered out of control. I was guided for a bit, heard a door open and was pulled inside the room. The air only smelled of fresh paint, making me want to sneeze.

Luke removed his hand and I blinked a few times, disappointment settled in my stomach as I saw that the one holding my hand was dad. I immediately looked around and was amazed. "Oh my God." I said as I finally saw my surroundings.

We were in the spare room, only it has been turned into a nursery room. The walls were white with trees drawn on them. An old looking crib stood in one corner, next to it a side table. In another wall was a white dresser with a changing pad on top, on the side a cushioned chair covered with a white cloth. The furniture was looking old but in good condition. I could see myself in that room taking care of the babies while looking out the window, waiting for Kaleb to come out of the woods after a patrol.

"Do you like it? The crib and other furniture are old, but they're good and usable. I went with mom to a garage sale and she helped me pick most of the things. I chose the color, it's so relaxing and mom did the drawings." Kaleb was ranting while pacing around the room touching the furniture and walls. He stopped and looked at me with big expectant eyes, still waiting for my reaction.

"It's beautiful, I like it a lot. But Kaleb you didn't have to do this as I'm not living here anymore." I said not daring to look at his eyes and see the disappointment.

"I know, but they're my babies too and I was thinking it would be good for them to have a room for when they stay here with me, or when…" Once again he left the sentence incomplete, only this time I was certain he was going to say when I moved back with him.

I didn't answer and continued staring at the room. Tears wanted to spill as I felt the despair coming from Kaleb, even though he hid it well I still could feel the disappointment he felt as knowing I didn't want to move in with him. I wanted to but the problem would be making the same mistakes again, moving too fast.

"Are you alright?" Dad asked me as he saw the tears brimming my eyes.

"Yeah, I'm just overwhelmed by the room." I said while drying my eyes. In that moment I felt a pressure building in the pit of my womb and seconds later a gush of water went down my leg. "OH!!"

"Ami what… what's happening?" Dad asked as he saw my shocked face. I wasn't feeling pain, but the pressure was getting more prominent.

"My water just broke, the babies are coming." I finally found my voice, only it came out strained.

"Oh my God, you're four weeks early." Luke said. He was the first to react, dad and Kaleb were obviously astonished.

"I smell blood." Kaleb finally spoke and got out of his trance. In a blur he was by my side and got me in his arms.

"Let her go." Dad said through clenched teeth.

"There isn't suppose to be blood Seth. We need to take her to the hospital immediately. Luke can you drive, the keys are on the table next to the front door." Kaleb said with a calmed voice and started to carry me to the truck.

Very fast I was in the back seat with Kaleb at my side. Luke was driving really fast while dad sat next to him, once in a while he would give me a worried look and to Kaleb a glare. The truck was shaking slightly as they all trembled trying to control the urge to phase.

I wasn't entirely in pain, but the pressure had settled in my lower back and was emitting a slight discomfort. I was breathing in through my nose and letting the air go through my mouth, just as the doctor had told me to do. It was helping to alleviate the pressure but at times my body would get too tense making me release a moan of pain.

"We're almost there Ami. Everything's going to be fine." Kaleb was whispering to me as he held my hand, rubbing each of my fingers. In return I was squeezing with my other hand his arm, trying to relieve some of the discomfort.

"It doesn't hurt that much, it's just a lot of building pressure." I said resting my head in his shoulder. I could still feel dad looking at us, but I didn't care as all I wanted was comfort.

Finally we were at the hospital and once again Kaleb took me in his arms and ran inside. If I took away the pain, that moment would have been magical. The contact of our skin was the most we've had since he came back.

I was taken in a wheelchair to a room and after I changed to a hospital gown, a nurse checked me as Dr. Lopez wasn't on duty that night. They already called her and she was going to be there in minutes. The nurse told me I was obviously in early labor, which was normal when it came to twins, and I bled a little as the placenta broke a little more than it should have. She continued to put a heart monitor around my huge belly and do a quick ultrasound.

Through all this Luke, dad and Kaleb stood in different sides of the room looking attentively at all the nurse was doing. I could tell Kaleb was dying to be by my side holding at least my hand. "Mrs. Swan…" My eyes stopped staring at Kaleb and looked at the nurse. Her tone was full of worry and I wasn't liking it.

"I don't want to worry you but now that the babies have moved so they could prepare for the descent, there's something showing on the screen that we couldn't see before." The nurse continued. She was looking at the screen with confused eyes.

"What is it?" Dad asked with a lot of concern in his voice.

"Well in your record says that one of the baby's heart beat is faster than the other. Now that the baby is giving us a better view I see something out of place. I better wait for the doctor to be here so she can check better." She said like regretting the information she gave us without asking her superior first.

I looked at Kaleb and he immediately got to my side, holding my hand once again. Luke and dad were looking at each other, but none of us dared say a word, afraid that everything was going to crumble down.

I didn't know what to feel, if one of my babies was sick or didn't live, my life would be too unbearable to live.

The nurse left after cleaning the gel and we remained in silence until Dr. Lopez arrived looking stressed. "Doctor everything's okay, right?" Dad asked immediately getting up from the chair he was sitting on.

"Well I'm going to check Amelia right now. It was really out of place for the nurse to scare you like that without me checking you first. But none of you need to worry I've been present in some risky cases and I always do everything possible for the mother and babies to be alright and healthy." The doctor said with a little smile.

Once again my belly was exposed and gel was applied. After a while of probing my womb, Dr. Lopez faced me. "What the nurse saw is an indication that one of the babies might have a heart condition. I can't be a hundred percent sure of this as the babies are really tight in there not letting me see properly, but there's nothing to worry about. Like I said before I've deal with cases like this before and even you'll be able to give birth naturally as you wanted. Once the babies are out we'll take them to Preemie Care and we'll do everything we can."

"Okay." I said holding back the pain that was starting to build all over my body.

"I was informed you don't want and epidural, are you sure about that? Its two babies you're going to push out and the pain can take away a lot of strength." The doctor said as she ended the ultrasound.

Once again I looked at Kaleb and the others, looking for the answer. "I don't want you in too much pain but I respect your wish." Kaleb said caressing my sweaty forehead.

"Amelia take the medicine please, don't try to act tough." Dad said placing his hand on my covered feet. Luke was nodding in a corner, agreeing with dad.

"Okay." I said to the doctor.

"You're right now only five centimeters dilated, when you reach seven the pain will get worse. That's when we'll put the epidural." The doctor said scribbling something in my charts. "Now only one person can be in here with you, who is it going to be?"

I thought about it deeply. Since the beginning I wanted dad to be here with me as he wasn't present when I was born, but now that Kaleb was back I also wanted him by my side. Kaleb saw my hesitation and spoke. "Seth can be the one here with you. I'll just be out that door with Luke." He said in a whisper.

Dad was shocked that Kaleb was giving away the opportunity to be in his babies' birth, but didn't say anything.

"I don't want to be rude or nosy but are you the father of the babies?" Dr. Lopez asked looking between us. I nodded my head. "Oh in that case the rules can be bend a little, the two of you can be in here when the time comes, but you can't." She said turning to face Luke.

"No worries, I don't think I can handle being in here when she…" Luke said swallowing really hard. I could see in his eyes how nervous he was feeling. We all chuckled a little, the doctor leaving us alone.

As the time passed I became more scared, not for the pain, but because I was afraid that one of my babies was going to be too sick to live. I didn't say my worries out loud as I knew that everyone in the room was feeling the same. Every once in a while a nurse would come to check on mine and the babies' vitals and see how dilated I was.

Luke was coming and going, he had called almost everyone to inform them that I was in labor. I bet all the pack was out in the waiting room anxiously waiting for me to give birth. One time he came and told Kaleb that Paul and Rachel were outside. That, and when the doctor came to put the epidural, were the only times he left my side.

The drug started to do its effect really fast, but it meant that the last centimeters of dilation were going to come slower. It wasn't until two hours later that I started to have the wanting of pushing. The doctor came and just as I thought I was completely dilated and ready to push.

**Kaleb's POV**

I could feel deep in my bones how worried Ami was for the babies. I was also very worried but seeing her so stressed was pushing them to the back of my mind. I was putting all my trust in the doctor while giving all my strength to Ami as she was going to need it.

I couldn't believe that in minutes I was going to become a father of twins. Between the doctor and nurses they started to prepare Ami so she could start pushing. I knew she wasn't in a lot of pain, thanks to the epidural, but still knowing she had to push hard was making me feel on edge. My hands were trembling but I did everything possible not to show it so Ami wouldn't have another worry.

The whole experience was quite slow. Ami had to push for about half an hour just so the first baby would go down the pelvic bone. I was encouraging her with soft loving words as she pushed with all her strength. I kept telling myself that she could do this, as she's strong as a wolf.

My hand was numb from all the squeezes Ami was giving it, but I didn't care as long as it helped her. Finally the doctors told her that the first baby was very close. After ten more minutes, four more pushes the first baby was brought into the world.

My heart constricted as I saw how small it was, but swelled when I heard the strong cry. "It's a boy." Dr. Lopez said, letting Ami touch his little head before handing him to a nurse who immediately started to clean him up.

"Daniel." My head whipped fast to look at Ami, who's voice was sounding weak and tired. "He's name is going to be Daniel." I nodded.

"He's beautiful." I said kissing her on her sweaty forehead.

"Okay the second one is coming fast, come on push." The doctor said interrupting our small moment. I could see Seth hovering near the nurse who was attending Daniel, so I put my whole attention once again to Ami.

Just like the doctor said the second baby came faster than Daniel. It was even smaller and I stopped breathing as the baby didn't cry immediately. The doctor had to massage its chest for the baby to start crying, but not as strong as Daniel.

"It's another boy." She said removing the liquid from his mouth.

"Eli, as for Elizabeth." Ami said smiling weakly. As Seth had cut the umbilical cord of the first one, I cut the one from Eli. A tear went down my cheek as I saw the tiny figure being taken away. The doctor said he was having trouble breathing and they needed to check if his heart was functioning properly.

"Am I suppose to still feel contractions and the will to push?" Ami asked, raising her head a little so she could see the doctor properly. At that moment the doctor came up from checking Ami's private parts with a shocked expression.

"Oh my!! This sometimes can happen, especially with twins. A third baby can be hidden behind the other two, so it's impossible to see it through the ultrasound." Dr. Lopez said preparing Ami once again so she could push.

I was shocked and couldn't comprehend what was happening. "There's another one?" I asked. Ami's face told me she was feeling the same as me.

"Yes, so Amelia you need to push hard, really hard. The baby could get stressed if it's kept inside for too long."

"Oh my God, triplets!!" I could hear Seth mumbling, but my attention was on Ami, who was really exhausted.

The third baby didn't come as fast as Eli or Daniel and gave Ami a lot of workout. When the baby was finally out, I let out the breath I was holding. "It's a girl."

I was crying, the same as Ami as the doctor put the healthy baby in Ami's chest so she could see her properly. "She's beautiful, our little surprise." Ami said with a small and tired smile in her face. "Addison, that's going to be her name, after her father."

I started to cry harder as I heard her. Even though I've been a jerk and made my imprint and wife suffer, she still named our daughter with my second name.

Once again the nurses took Addison away as even though she was bigger than her brothers, she was still a preemie.

"Congratulations Amelia for bringing to this world three babies without any complications. You know not many women can do what you did tonight. And you don't have to worry, by the looks of it the babies are fine. Probably what we saw in the ultrasound was the third's baby heartbeat. As soon as the babies are checked completely a nurse will come and give you the information." The doctor said as she finished cleaning Amelia.

After a few minutes I detached myself from Ami and went outside to the waiting room to tell everyone the big news. The whole pack was there, also mom, dad and Emily with Sam. I was smiling and drying the tears when all of them bombarded me with questions.

"Two boys…" I started, only had to stop when mom jumped from her seat and wrapped me in her tiny arms. "Mom and a girl." I said smiling from ear to ear.

Everyone looked at me with confusion. "WHAT!?!" Lots of voices shouted at the same time.

"There was a surprise, its triplets. Two boys and a girl, Daniel, Eli and Addison." I was bouncing in the balls of my feet. The happiness was too overwhelming.

"The girl is named Addison, after my dad?" Dad asked, his face going from happy to melancholy and back again to happiness. I nodded and once again was wrapped in another set of arms, only this time they were big and strong.

It has been a long while since I felt so happy and my life felt in place. As everyone hugged and congratulated me, I forgot that they were previously mad at me and even wanted to kill me. All I was caring was that my Amelia was safe and that I was the father of three beautiful babies that had already filled a great part of my heart.


	11. Bonus: Change of Heart

**A/N:** _The poll is closed and the majority wanted Taylor's bonus chapter first. I got inspired and wrote this chapter in two nights, its not very long but at least it shows what's happening in Taylor's life. This is a few day before the Baby Shower when Bella and Edward get to Paris. _

_I've decided to make a Mathias' short story after I'm finished with this one, so no worries those who wanted to know more about him will be pleased. And as for Thomas his bonus will come later in the story. Thanks to all of you who always write a review or have me in their favorites lists, it means a lot and remember **More Reviews = Faster Chapters**._

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**Bonus: Change of Heart**

**Taylor's POV**

The start of another boring day. Well at the beginning living near an ancient city was interesting, but after visiting the countless of museums numerous times and visiting the historical sites, the place became another prison cell. Mom and dad kept telling me that a new place to live involved having a second chance to build a new life, but I didn't want a new life. I wanted to be back in Washington where I could be near her, but instead I was stuck here.

No one actually understands how I feel towards Amelia. The first time I saw her, my heart sped up and it was hard to breathe. I knew in that moment that I was in love and that my life wouldn't be complete if she wasn't in it. It was devastating when I found out she was already taken, by an imprint bond. I've always admired the connection my parents had, but when I realize that Ami was never going to be mine, I hated the whole concept of imprinting.

I knew deep down that if Kaleb wouldn't have imprinted on her, and her on him, she would have noticed me and I would have the chance to make her happy. But I wasn't destined to be in her life like I wanted to, and that was killing me softly.

I hadn't known anything about her since the wedding, as dad convinced everyone that it was better if I stayed in the dark when it comes to Ami's life. Sometimes I would sneak and try to hear some conversations mom or dad were having with our family, trying to hear if they talked about anything involving Amelia, but the bad part about having parents with super senses is they always caught me.

"Taylor I know you're up, come down here and help me prepare breakfast." Mom's angelical voice brought me out of my suffering state.

I sighed and started to get out of bed. As I stretched I looked out my window and was mesmerized for a moment with the beautiful view. As we live in a remote area near the City of Paris, exactly in Saint-Denis, I could see a plain of green grass and trees and in the far distant the city. As it was early November, the sky was grey and a chilly air was entering through the window, but the view was still wonderful and magical. Too bad the effect didn't last long as I ached to share such a beautiful view with the girl that I love. I closed the curtains with a lot of force, almost ripping it, and started to look for a shirt to put on as I only slept in some shorts.

After paying a quick visit to the bathroom, I made my way downstairs and found mom in the kitchen trying to make a successful breakfast, she was such a bad cook. Grandma tried to teach her how to make a decent meal, but mom never developed a taste for food, only eating when necessary. If it wasn't for the fact that dad and I needed to eat constantly, she wouldn't even try to get in the kitchen.

If I would put aside all the sadness I felt for being so far from her, I would actually enjoy my time here in our new home. Our house wasn't big, compared to all the huge houses I've lived since I was born, but it had a cozy atmosphere. The whole concept of the house was white and vintage furniture. My favorite room was the kitchen as it was very open, big windows covered a whole wall and all the furniture looked old but at the same time had a modern touch.

As soon as I entered the kitchen a burning smell reached my nose. "Mom something's burning." I said looking at what she had on the stove.

"Oh!!" She said flipping a frying pan that had a roasted piece of toast. She was definitely trying to make French toasts but was failing miserable.

"Here let me do it." I said grabbing the frying pan. I threw in the garbage the burned toast and started to make them from scratch. Ever since I got use of my hands I helped grandmamma Esme in the kitchen, I found it entertaining and it helped with my coordination.

In no time I had a stack of French toasts accompanied by scrambled eggs and sausages. "Where's dad?" I asked as I put the food on the table.

"He's picking up your grandma and grandpa, remember they're coming today. He should be here any minute." She said eyeing me with concern. I sometimes would be so immerse in my wallowing that forgot to pay attention to what was happening around me. Like at the moment I had forgotten grandma and grandpa coming to spend time with us until after Christmas day.

I shrugged and started to devour my food. Mom just sat in front of me nibbling at her food, but mostly staring at me.

"What!?!" I asked after fifteen minutes of staring.

"Taylor you should go out more. Find some friends and have fun like a normal teenager." Mom said biting her bottom lip. Something she did when she was dreading the outcome.

"But I'm not a normal teenager, I don't even go to school." I said taking my last bite of sausages and drinking in three gulps my orange juice.

"You're right, maybe what you need is to experience life and see all the great possibilities that are out there. I'm going to talk to Jake, see if we can put you in school." Mom said cheerily.

"What?? No mom, that's not what I meant. I don't want to…" I couldn't argue properly as in that moment dad arrived, followed by grandma Bella and grandpa Edward.

The discussion was put aside as mom jumped from her chair and went flying to greet her parents. I got up and after putting the dirty dishes in the sink, went to the living room where mom was hugging and kissing my grandparents.

"Mmm… something smells delicious." Dad said sniffing to the direction of the kitchen. "Nessie did you make breakfast?" He asked starting to walk to where the smell was coming from.

I snorted very loud and felt all their eyes on me. "I cooked, mom was making a disaster." I said getting closer to grandma and giving her a kiss on her cold cheek. She in return grabbed me and gave me a big hug, if she would still be human, the hug would be very warm but instead it was hard and cold.

"How you doing?" She asked me, releasing me.

"I'm fine." I said not meeting her eyes, afraid that she was going to see how sad and heartbroken I really was.

As she didn't say anything in return, I went to also give a kiss to grandpa. He hugged me softly and patted my back a couple of times. "You're still getting bigger, you're even taller than Jake."

"Well hopefully it means he'll be an alpha, just like his dad." Dad said as he came back from the kitchen holding a plate full of food and swallowing very hard a huge piece of toast.

"What's the point of being alpha if I'll never have a pack, it's not like we're ever going back to La Push." I said bitterly sitting in one of the sofas. There was an intense silence, I didn't have to look at them to know they were having a silent conversation.

"Mom, dad why don't I show you around the house." Mom said breaking the silence. I assumed they nodded as they started to move around the house, mom's voice was full of happiness as she described what she had done to the rooms. Just like grandmamma Esme, she wanted to become an excellent house designer.

"Taylor do you want to talk?" Dad finally spoke. I knew he was the only one who stayed behind. He sat next to me and placed the plate of food on the coffee table.

"Dad I don't want to talk, what's the point?" I said my voice breaking a little. I felt my throat constricting, a sign that soon tears were going to come. I bit my tongue and held back all the anger and misery I was feeling.

"I know how you're feeling." He said placing a hand on my shoulder. I let it lie there, enjoying the comfort my father always gave me. "I was in love once with a girl that was out of my reach and no matter what everyone told me, I still believed I had a chance. My heart suffered a lot and it wasn't until your mother was born and I imprinted that my feelings change. I still love her, but I love your mother more. I'm not going to tell you that one day you'll imprint and forget about Amelia, because I'm not sure that's going to happen. But please move on, I don't want to see you get hurt the way I did."

"It's hard, all the time I'm thinking about her and it hurts that I don't know what's going on in her life." I said the tears finally falling. Dad immediately got closer and wrapped me in his arms. I was reminded when I was little and wasn't feeling well, he would always wrap me in his big arms and make me feel at ease.

"It's better if you don't know about her life."

"Why?" I abruptly got out of his embrace and faced him. I started to shake and my blood was boiling.

"Calm down!"

"NO!!... I'm tired of being treated like a little kid. I'm almost sixteen, I think I can handle the situation." I shouted, my voice sounding stronger than normal. Dad flinched a little, but regained his composure really fast.

"Okay, just calm down and I'll tell you whatever you want to know." I took deep breaths and centered my thoughts in pleasant memories.

"How is she, is she happy?" I asked after I felt under control.

Dad hesitated for a second and after thinking the answer through, looked me straight in the eyes. "Ami and Kaleb are split up at the moment, so no she's not happy."

"They're not together, as in they're getting a divorce?" I said with a smile on my lips.

"Well I don't think they're getting divorced but at the moment they're not living in the same house."

"You sound like there's a big possibility of them getting back together, why did they split up in the first place?" I asked full of curiosity. If it was because he had hurt her, I would go back and kill him with my own hands.

"Kaleb was keeping some secrets from her and the small problem grew and blew up. But of course I think they're getting back together, it's their destiny and because she's…" Dad stopped and looked at his hands, like thinking how to approach the next subject.

"Because she's what?"

"Taylor she's pregnant. Amelia is going to have Kaleb's kids, twins in fact." I couldn't breathe properly. It was like receiving a punch in the pit of my stomach. My beautiful Amelia was going to have his babies.

It was true what dad said, now not only the imprint bond was going to keep them together, but the babies were a reason to make things work again. It was funny how in such a short time my heart soared with hope and with the same speed was crushed into a thousand pieces.

I got up without saying a word and went to my room. In the way I saw mom, grandma and grandpa coming out of the master bedroom, but I ignored them completely. They probably heard the conversation I just had with dad as I saw their sad expressions, but didn't say anything towards me.

As soon as I was in my room, I crashed in my bed and got into a fetal position. I knew my sobs and crying could be heard all over the house, but I didn't care, all I cared about was that I had completely lost the only thing that mattered in my life.

After minutes, maybe hours, I wasn't paying attention to the time, I sat on my bed and dried my wet face. I was going to take dad's advice and try to move on. I couldn't linger on a possible future with her as I was certain that it wasn't going to happen.

I got out of bed and went to my adjoined bathroom, a long bath would do me good. The second favorite room in the house was my bathroom, a place where I could relax and think easily. It was small and the walls plain white, but what I liked most was the old bathtub lying in the middle. I filled it with warm water, even though the cold water didn't affect me, I needed to relax my muscles to think clearly.

After a long time just soaking and trying to leave behind all the feelings that were making my heart hurt, I decided to take mom's advice and make a new life, starting by going to school.

"Taylor are you okay, you've been in there almost an hour." Dad asked from the other side of the door. I didn't answer as I wasn't ready to confront the world not yet.

As I didn't say anything he let himself in. "Dad!!" I squealed, hiding my private parts with my hands.

"Oh please! It's not like I haven't seen my own son naked." Dad said with a smirk playing in his lips.

"Not since I change." I said with a lot of embarrassment. I could feel the blood rushing to my cheeks, something I gained from grandma. Dad started to laugh, he probably knew all the changes our bodies suffered after becoming a werewolf, all our body part grew and I mean all of them. I relaxed a little and started to laugh with him.

It has been such a long time since I spend such a light moment with my dad, ever since the family decided to move to Washington. Maybe if we would have never moved, my life wouldn't have become so complicated. I'm just a fifteen year old kid who wants to have a good life without worries.

"Come on we're going to the movies in the city with Bella and Edward, then we'll be going for dinner." He said after stopping his laughing.

"Okay." I said and after he exited the bathroom I got out of the bathtub, wrapped a towel around my waist and went to my room to get ready. After half an hour I was completely dressed in dark jeans and black T-Shirt and a light leather jacket to pretend the cold was affecting me.

Everyone was waiting for me in the living room. They gave me an understanding look but didn't ask how I was feeling, probably grandpa Edward already knew as he could read all the thoughts that went through my mind.

As dad said we went to the movies and saw a boring romance mom and grandma wanted to see. I could hear through the whole movie dad's hard breathing, which told me he was sleeping. Thankfully he wasn't snoring like he usually did. The only reason why I didn't fall asleep was because as always my mind was too busy with what was happening with Amelia, even though I pushed the thoughts to the back of my mind and tried to concentrate on the movie, they kept intruding my thoughts. Grandpa was sitting on my side and kept giving me concerned looks, my thoughts were probably driving him crazy.

After the movie we went to a fancy restaurant in the middle of the city and between dad and I ordered food for a family of ten, mom wasn't in the mood for human food.

"So Taylor had you decided to go to school, Nessie told me she suggested it." Dad asked me after we finished eating the appetizers.

"Ummm… yeah I want to start school, I need the distraction." I said without meeting their eyes.

Mom squealed with excitement. "You're going to like it. Trust me when mom and dad told me I was going to school I was scared and frustrated at the same time, but the experience was amazing and you make a lot of friends."

"And maybe you'll meet a special someone in the process." Grandma said to me, placing her cold hand on top of mine. I lowered my face and didn't let them see the sadness that crossed my features.

"Bella!" Grandpa said with a warning tone. He knew what things I was thinking. I wasn't sure if I could move on so easily and fast.

With that the conversation was changed. Through the whole dinner we just talked about what's been happening in Seattle with the rest of the family. Mostly grandma talked about how Alice tried once again in vain to throw away all her clothes and substitute it with new ones that were all fashionable.

As we made our way out the restaurant, grandpa stopped us and told me someone wanted to say something to me.

"Hey wait!" I heard in that moment a very soft female voice calling after us.

I turned around and saw a pretty girl. She seemed familiar and after a quick moment felt stupid as I realized it was our waitress. She was very pale and her hair a light brown with a little red in it, but what captivated me more were her eyes, light blue almost grey.

"Umm, I don't usually do this but my friends told me to act bold at least once in my life." Her English was very interlaced with her deep French accent, but she could speak it well. "Here you can have my number." She continued giving me a small piece of paper.

"What?" I was taken by surprise and didn't know what to do.

"Oh, I'm doing this all wrong." She said, her cheeks getting covered by a beautiful shade of pink. "I'm Cecile." She said extending her hand.

I hesitated for a moment, but got my courage and took her hand. "Taylor." Her eyes got big, probably reacting to my hot hand.

"Belle." She whispered really low, but I still could hear her.

"Huh? What did you say?" I asked unable to contain myself.

Her cheeks got redder and I could feel the warmth of embarrassment emanating from her. "You heard that." It wasn't a question. I nodded my head and kept looking at her beautiful eyes, still holding her hand.

"Your family is waiting for you and here I am holding you by acting all stupid." She said getting her hand out of mine.

"It's not stupid, they can wait. Are you from around here?" I asked, not knowing exactly why I did it.

"Well not exactly from around here, I leave up north in Montmartre. I only stay here on weekends for work." She said not stopping to look me in the eyes.

"Well I live in Saint Denis, only half an hour away from where you live. Maybe we'll see each other again."

"Hopefully…" Once again she said under her breath. "Here take my number and you can call me and we could make plans to get together outside of my work." She handed me again the piece of paper with trembling hands. I didn't hesitate this time and took it, letting my hand linger against hers a bit longer.

I remembered that I wasn't alone and that mom, dad, grandpa and grandma were watching me. I gave her a small smile and turned around, walking to where they were waiting for me with stupid grins on their faces.

"What?" I asked them trying to sound irritated but failed badly. I tucked the piece of paper with Cecile's number in my jacket's pocket and acted as if nothing interesting had happened, only I couldn't stop smiling.

"Nothing, just proving my point that there are plenty of interesting girls out there who would consider you worthwhile." Dad said with a big smile on his face. He put his arm around my shoulder and gave it a light squeeze.

"Dad what's the point in meeting a normal girl and making friends if we're not going to stay here that long. We don't age remember." I said the frustration getting back to me. One of the reasons why I thought Amelia was the perfect one for me was that she could be immortal like me. "And what if I start seeing this girl and after a while of dating I imprint?"

"You can't live your life thinking about those things. You have to enjoy and live the present and only worry about those problems when they come." Grandpa Edward said getting closer. "I heard the girl's thoughts all the time we were in there and they're very interesting, but I know she means well. She really wants to know you and it was true she never does something so endearing."

"I don't know what to do, it's too soon…" I let the sentence hanging unable to say out loud it's too soon to forget about Amelia.

"Come on why don't we start getting back home." Mom said patting my back tenderly. I gave her a light kiss on her cheek as a thank you.

As we drove home I couldn't stop thinking about what had happened. Was the appearance of that pretty girl a sign that I should move on or was it just coincidence? I didn't know, but I was certain of one thing, she was pretty but not as beautiful as Amelia. Cecile intrigued me but didn't make my heart beat faster and or my breathing become laboriously.

I played with the piece of paper in my pocket asking myself if it was worth it to call her. Maybe mom was right and I needed to go out more and meet people. Maybe I should take grandpa's advice and live life only taking in consideration what's happening at the moment.

As we got closer to our house I had decided what to do, I was going to call Cecile and see how things go from there. I couldn't live my life wandering all the time what would have happened if Amelia was in it. I had to leave my feelings for her behind and form a new life, opening my heart and mind to new possibilities.

~*~

_******I added some pics of Jacob and Nessie's house and how I envision Cecile in my **Webs Page**, the link is in my profile as always. I'm still not sure if she's going to play an important part in the story, it will come to me as the story develops. _


	12. Righteous Place

**Chapter 11: Righteous Place**

**Amelia's POV**

Becoming a mother was a complete change of life. Not only I gained an experience not all woman can get, but I learned that there's no better happiness that to hold your children and give them all the love you have left. My life got split and a part went to each of them, giving them all they needed.

I recuperated very fast, that same day of the delivery I was full of energy and ready to see my babies. I wasn't expecting what I saw. My heart constricted and I wanted to cry when I saw their tiny bodies covered in tubes. Addison was the healthiest one, her weight was 4lbs. 15oz. Then it was Daniel with 4lbs. 9oz. But Eli was too tiny and his breathing was laboriously. He only weighted 4lbs. and a couple of ounces, the doctors were keeping a close eye on him as he had stopped breathing once since he was born.

After a week Addison and Daniel were able to go out of the hospital, but the doctors decided to leave them and keep them close to Eli so it would help. They told me that if one of the babies was sick, the others' energy could help him get better and gain weight faster. I only left to go home and shower, but I ate and slept at the hospital. Dad also rarely left my side, the same as Kaleb while the rest of the families and the guys from the pack came from time to time. Mathias was always caring and brought all of us food whenever he got the time between his work and patrols.

Finally after three weeks Eli stabilize and gained enough weight to be released. I was ready to finally settle in and start a quiet life with the babies, but being the alpha of a wolf pack made that impossible. The house was full when we arrived, the only ones missing were Matthew, Jayson and Cody as they were in school. Also wasn't there Cat with Embry as they were probably at their house tending to their new baby. She gave birth to Krystopher a week ago by means of a c-section as there were some complications, so she was probably still recuperating.

Everyone was excited as only close family were able to see the babies properly, the rest only saw them through the big glass in the hospital's nursery. I was exhausted but was glad all of them were there giving me support, this past weeks I've been stressed out with so much worry, now that the babies were finally home nothing could ruin the happiness I was feeling.

We congregated in the living room, dad and Kaleb helped me get the triplets out of the car seats. I smiled as I saw Kaleb take out Addison with gentle hands. I remembered the first time he held them in the hospital, he was afraid of doing something wrong but ended being a natural and got accustomed fast. Dad on the other hand was still very nervous as he held Daniel in his big hands.

I held Eli in my arms and he immediately started to squirm, he didn't like to be moved a lot and was the fussiest of the three, needing a lot of attention.

"This is Eli." I said handing the baby to Emily whom was waiting patiently in front of me with stretched arms.

"He's so cute. He looks a lot like Kaleb, I remember when he was a baby was just like this." She said cradling Eli in her arms, Sam was by her side looking from behind her shoulder. He started to squirm again but this time started to cry, just on cue the other two started to also cry, they were connected in a way that if one cried the others did too. A nervous Thomas was carrying Addison while Daniel was being held by Paul with Rachel by his side. They had already seen and held them, but as grandparents they never got tired of carrying them.

"They must be hungry. I'll be right back, I'm going to prepare the bottles." I said loud enough so everyone would hear me through the crying.

I went to the kitchen, Luke following me. "Need any help?" He asked me.

"Yep, you better learn how to make a bottle as I'm going to need as much help as I can." I said getting all I needed.

"I already know how to prepare a bottle and feed a baby, remember I take care of Sophie all the time since she was born." Luke said grabbing a bottle and started to prepare the formula. I wanted to breast feed all three of them, but I wasn't creating enough milk to satiate them. The doctor recommended me to at least pump some out and feed them a little at least once a day.

"I'm so exhausted but I wouldn't change anything. Having three kids is going to be hard but I can do it and its worth it." I said more to myself.

"Don't worry there are a lot of us who are willing to help with anything."

We made our way to the living room and everyone was strangely quiet, even the babies had stopped crying.

"Why is everyone so quiet?" I asked from the middle of the living room. Everyone was looking at Mathias with strange looks, he was holding one of the babies but I couldn't tell who as he was shadowing it.

"Umm… Ami sit down please." Kaleb came to my side as urged me to sit in the nearest sofa.

"Why, did something happen? Are the babies okay?" I asked my voice showing how fast I was getting worried.

"No! They're fine it's just that Mathias imprinted." He said giving Mathias a dirty look.

"What!?! On Addie, but he's gay." I said walking the rest of the way to where he was standing. I gasped when I saw Mathias was actually carrying Eli, whom was very awake looking at the man with glossy eyes.

"NO!!" I almost shouted. "This can't be happening, we don't even know if my baby boy is going to be gay." I said getting closer and extending my arms so Mathias would give me Eli.

"It's not like that. You know I won't expect anything from him, I'll just protect him and make him happy. I'm confused too, I didn't know this could happen." He said not stopping to look at my son.

"None of the legends speak of a man imprinting on the same gender, but I guess there are no limits when it comes to finding your soul mate." Sam said. I could see he was trying to maintain a calm environment, but he was failing.

The burning I haven't felt in the months of pregnancy was coming back and I felt like the days before I phased for the first time, in the verge of losing myself. "Come on lets go outside." Kaleb said when he saw my shaking hands.

Luke and dad followed us as Kaleb guided me to the backyard and into the trees, away from any seeing eyes from the neighbors.

"How could you act so calm when a man imprinted on our baby boy?" I started to shout in Kaleb's face as soon as we were very deep in the woods.

"Ami I'm freaking out too, trust me. It's just imprinting is something none of us can control and sometimes can happen in inappropriate situations. Come on calm down, take deep breaths." Kaleb said, not moving an inch from where he was standing in front of me even though I was clearly not in control.

"Yeah for the first time I agree with him. Take for instance your situation, you imprinting on each other was obviously a huge mistake." Dad said from behind us.

Luke reacted on time and held me back as I launched myself at that man I called dad, only in that moment the only thing I was thinking was I wanted to hurt him for all the stupid things he was saying. "Why don't you deal with your own businesses and let me live my life the way I want to. Why do you have to be so nosy?" I growled. I was trying to get out of Luke's grip but Kaleb saw what I was trying to do and helped him keep me in place.

"Because I'm your father and it's my duty to make sure you make the right decisions." Dad shouted back while starting to pace. "I don't want that excuse of a man to hurt you again, you deserve much better."

He was going to continue but I had enough. Just like the first time I phased, I blacked out for a few seconds. Kaleb and Luke released me on time and phased themselves, all our clothes flying all around in pieces.

I jumped at dad but he avoided me swiftly, phasing in the process. I launched myself again at him, this time we collided making a loud booming sound. We were going at each other without compassion, not caring that we might hurt the other. The only sound that could be heard were our snarling and the deep pounding our paws made each time we ran to each other.

Dad grabbed me by the side with his teeth and pinned me against a tree, making me release a loud howl and start growling harder.

_Stop it, both of you!_ Luke shouted in our heads. He was sending us images of us together having a good time as daughter and father.

None of the images were having an effect on me. It was like the rage I was holding all this time came bursting out and overtook my judgment. I was quickly getting accustomed once again to my wolf body and the alpha power was getting back to all my limbs. With a swift movement grabbed dad by the shoulder blade and swung him off my body, in the process tearing a piece of meat from my side. The pain was superficial to all the anger I was feeling.

_That's enough. _Kaleb said standing in front of me with all his height.

_Get out of the way, I don't want to hurt you._ I growled on his face.

_But you want to hurt Seth, your father. He only wants the best for you, he just wants to help you have a good life. _He said. His thoughts and emotions were full of hurt, but I felt he was speaking with the truth.

_Kaleb is right, you need to think with reason. You can't let your anger and frustrations overrule your actions, it's not you. Here you are trying to hurt your father while your babies are at the house probably missing their mother. _Luke's thoughts brought me back to reality. He was standing in front of dad, who was whining because I have broken his arm.

I have forgotten completely of my three beautiful babies and the real reason why we were in the middle of the forest, Mathias imprinting on my Eli. I felt horrible and all the anger left my body, leaving me lying naked on the wet ground.

"I'm tired of being a disappointment, nobody says it out loud but I see it in everyone's eyes." I said through sobs. "I never wanted to be a leader in the first place, it's a power that was trusted to me without my consent and everyone expects me to do a perfect job with it. Well I'm only twenty years old and I'm allowed to make mistakes and live my life. For crying out loud, I'm still a person that hasn't grown completely, I'm not even a legal adult…"

"You're right and what are you going to do about it? Cry like a little girl? No you need to stand up and make everyone see who you are and what you are willing to do. Even if you didn't want to, the right place for you is to be our alpha and guide us." Luke said. I hadn't realized that the three of them had come back to human form and were crouching in front of me hearing my monologue.

"Come on let's get to the house, we should be holding our babies right now." Kaleb stood in front of me and held a hand out so I would grab it. I couldn't help it but look at his magnificent body standing naked in front of me. I blushed and grabbed his hand so he could help me up.

We started to walk back, but I stopped when I noticed dad wasn't following us. "Are you coming with us dad?" I asked with a tiny voice.

"No." His eyes couldn't meet mine and I knew both of us crossed a line that would change our relationship forever. "I need some time alone to think. I'm going to look for Emma, she must be hunting up north. I'll come back when I'm ready." He turned around and left swiftly a little hunched as his shoulder hadn't healed. I looked at my side and saw that my gashed was healing fast, I guess the adrenaline had made me forget I was hurt.

We continued walking to the house. Almost there I held Kaleb back. "Luke why don't you go ahead and shout at someone to bring out some clothes, we'll be there in a few."

"Okay, I'll leave the clothes next to the oak tree." With that he left, leaving us alone. Ever since Kaleb arrived we haven't been alone, there was always someone lurking around trying to listen to our conversations.

"I'm sorry for the way acted and losing control like that." I started, not daring to look Kaleb in the eyes.

"You should've apologized to Seth not me." Kaleb said grabbing my face tenderly and making me face him. His thumb was caressing my cheek, sending electricity through my whole body. He started to inch closer until his lips were almost on top of mine. My heart was fluttering erratically and I couldn't breathe properly.

"Kaleb…" I lowered my face, letting the pain of rejecting him settle in my body. "I'm not ready. I know I attacked dad to defend you, but that doesn't mean I'm willing to accept you back in my life as my husband or lover. It's confusing wanting you in my life and now in the lives of our babies, but I think of you lying to me and I still don't trust you completely. I just need more time, I'm sorry."

"It's okay, I'll wait patiently." He said stroking my cheek again before letting his hand drop.

* * *

Once inside the house, fully dressed, we found that only Mathias, Thomas and Emily hadn't left, but Matt, Jayson and Cody had arrived. They were all sitting around the kitchen waiting for Emily to finish making food. A playpen that Emily and Sam had bought for the babies lay in the middle of the kitchen with my three little angels sleeping soundly inside.

I bent a little and touched each of their faces marveling at how beautiful they were. "It's good to have you back as alpha." Thomas interrupted the moment.

"Yeah it's good to be back." I made my way closer to Mathias, he moved a little as if being uncomfortable. "I'm sorry for the way I acted, it's just the whole situation caught me by surprise. Thank God I wasn't in front of you when I phased or I would have killed you." I said the last part with a joking tone, making all the guys laugh a little.

"And now that I'm back as a wolf things are going to change. I'll hold a pack meeting as soon as dad gets back and some rules will be established. With that said where the babies fed?" My sudden change of topic caught them all by surprise and I had to smirk at their stupefied faces.

"Yeah, I fed Daniel, Rachel fed Addison and of course Mathias did a wonderful job with Eli." Thomas said mockingly as he got out of the shock. "Oh and Emily changed their diapers as none of us wanted to be near that part."

"Thanks." I said to all of them. I went to Emily, who was finishing serving the plates of food and hugged her tightly. "Thank you for staying and doing what needed to be done."

"No worries, I was like your mother once and my duty is to help my children. And how am I going to leave this lot hungry, that would create chaos." She said giving the guys a big smile. They laughed and thanked her for everything.

"So when the three of you arrived were the babies awake?" I directed my next question to Jayson, Matthew and Cody as I sat in a chair next to the playpen. They looked at me confused and nodded their heads.

"Ami why do you ask?" Luke asked grabbing immediately the plate his mother was putting in his hands. All of us got distracted as Emily gave us food. It has been less than an hour since I started to phase again and I was already feeling very hungry and my muscles were aching a little.

"And all three of you saw Addison, right?" Once again they looked at me as I was crazy.

"She's making sure that none of you imprinted on our daughter." Kaleb said putting his chair next to mine so he as I could see the babies properly. Without thinking it we always gravitated towards each other and I was thinking now that the triplets were here it was going to happen more often.

We started to eat quietly, once in a while one of the guys would say something funny or talk about how much the babies look like each of us. Daniel and Eli were very similar, the only difference between them was the eyes. Daniel obviously was going to have green eyes like me while Eli had them the same dark brown as Kaleb. They both looked a lot like Kaleb while Addison everyone said looked a lot like me, only she also had brown eyes.

The babies decided to wake up right on time, I was already finished eating. Emily had already prepared the bottles, she obviously still had the maternal instincts. I couldn't help but laugh when Mathias stood very fast from his chair, forgetting his half eaten second servings, and grabbed a crying Eli. To my surprise he stopped crying immediately and as before his eyes connected really fast with his imprinter.

After we fed the babies, I was holding Addison while Kaleb fed Daniel, the guys started to leave and so did Emily, she was very tired and I was very thankful for all her help. Mathias left too very sadly as he had to do patrol with Thomas, but before he gave a small kiss to Eli in the forehead and placed him on Kaleb's free arm. I was still a little concern about him imprinting on my son, as no one knew what the outcome was going to be when he was old enough, but I was sure Mathias was going to be a great influence and give Eli all he needed, especially happiness.

Between Kaleb and I, took the babies upstairs to my room and put them in their bassinettes. Alice had bought a third one as soon as she found out I had triplets instead of just two.

"Umm… are you leaving soon, you must be tired." I asked Kaleb while tucking Eli in his warm blanket.

"I was wondering if I could stay, I could sleep on the floor. Mom told me babies tend to wake up a lot at night when they're in a new place and you'll need help tending them." He said looking at the babies with a lot of adoration in his eyes.

I remembered watching him when the babies were born. For the first time his eyes weren't glued to me and instead to his newborn kids. He cried for all of them and when he cut Eli's umbilical cord I saw how proud he felt of becoming a father.

"Okay you can stay, but you don't have to sleep on the floor, the bed is big enough." I said getting everything ready so when the babies wake up for their diapers to be changed I wouldn't have trouble.

"Yeah and risk Seth finding me. He's going to kill me if he sees me sleeping by your side." He said shaking his head.

"I don't think he's coming tonight. I hurt him pretty badly and I think he's going to take his time away." I said with an evident sadness. Now that my head was clearer, I saw how wrong I acted by attacking him. First thing I was going to do once he got back was apologize a million times and try to make things better.

At the end Kaleb stayed in the floor, he still didn't want to disrespect dad's house. Just like we predicted the babies woke up a lot during the night, we only slept like an hour and a half. Eli was the one who kept waking a lot, waking the other when he started to cry.

If I ever thought I would be able to take care of the three by myself, I clearly saw that wasn't going to be possible. When one got hungry, the other two also got hungry and they would start crying really loudly if we didn't tend to their needs rapidly. The same occurred to diapers change, it was a very hectic experience, but I was very happy to be doing it.

Around six in the morning finally Eli stopped crying, he had fallen asleep in Kaleb's chest. Not wanting to wake him up, he stayed in the bed and we were able to get some sleep. Kaleb fell asleep first and I stayed watching him for a while before the tiredness overtook me. I couldn't help but marvel at how beautiful he looked holding our baby in his chest.

I was hoping that very soon I was going to get over my fears of him hurting me again and we would be able to start our life once again. We both had changed a lot and I realized that for a relationship to break both sides had to do something wrong. He obviously did the worst part as he lied and kept so many secrets, but me staying quiet for so long and not speaking out loud my discomfort also made me responsible. I knew I've changed, I felt stronger and the alpha in me was noticeable, but all was left was for Kaleb to completely show me how much he has change. Hopefully he will very soon.

~*~

**A/N:** _Thanks again to all of you who read this story and follow it, I'm really glad I could bring entertainment to some people. After this chapter things are going to start moving faster. In the next one I'll gravitate around Ami and Kaleb's relationship and after that a lot of years are going to pass and everyone will be big enough to develop them better. Luke and Sophie will start to appear more and finally their story will become the center of attention. As for Mathias and Eli's little twist I will develop it in a side short story as I feel I won't be able to tell what I want to tell in this story. _

_I added in the character's profile in my **Webs page** the next generation and how I envision them. You'll notice that some of the info is missing in some of the characters but that because I still haven't decide who's going to be wolves and whom they'll end up with, or I don't want to spoil anything on how my OC's are going to grow. **The link is on my profile as always and please review telling me what you think and expect from now on in the story.**_


	13. Moving On

**A/N:** _I know a lot of you must be standing in front of my house with pitch fork and torches but I'm very sorry that it took so long of me to write this chapter. My mind wasn't working properly and the ideas weren't coming, so I had to take my time. This chapter is the closure of Ami's and Kaleb's story, don't worry of course they'll still appear later on, but not as deeply as now. From now on I'll be around Luke and Sophie's story and finally do chapter in her POV... later I'll do the short spin off about Mathias and Eli, I'm even thinking on doing it about the triplets. _

_I added some pics of how I envision all the new characters, including the triplets and also a timeline... its all in my Webs Page (Link is on my Profile). So read this chapter and tell me what you think and hopefully the next chapters will come faster, I guess I was too attached to Amelia and Kaleb and didn't want to let go..._

~*~*~*~*~

**Chapter 12: Moving On**

**Amelia's POV**

"Dad we need to talk" I said as I entered dad's room. Emma immediately reacted to my strong tone of voice and paid well attention to all my movements, afraid I was going to attack dad.

It has been a couple of weeks since that day I attacked him and we still hadn't had a proper talk. He came back two days after the incident and ever since has acted as nothing had happened, but I could see in his eyes that he was very hurt. He has been helping a lot with the triplets, the same as Kaleb and the guys from the pack, especially Mathias, but obviated talking to me directly.

"About what?" He asked, his eyes not straying from the TV.

"Don't pretend like everything is alright because it isn't. I attacked you and it was wrong, so stop acting like nothing happened." I was getting frustrated as he wasn't reacting to my words. "Why aren't you mad or disappointed?"

Finally he looked at me and what I saw almost made me cry. I didn't recognize the man that was looking directly at me. I could see he was completely shattered. "When I found out I was your dad many emotions went through me but the one I felt more was complete happiness. I saw myself being the father you never had and the figure you would look up to. And we immediately clicked as father and daughter, making me finally feel that I belong, I felt complete." He took a pause and looked at Emma, caressing her face with trembling fingers as if assuring her that with her he also felt complete.

"Then things became complicated as I saw you were brought up as an individual who didn't need the adult figure to guide you. So I dedicated my time in giving you the paternal love you never had, only recently that love was thrown back in my face…"

"I love you dad." I interrupted him as I couldn't believe he was telling me I had rejected his love. "It's just all the frustration and anger I was feeling for a long time came out and I took it against you. I can't change how I feel towards Kaleb; it's like asking you to stop loving Emma because she's a vampire." I said sitting on the bed so I could look at him better. As Emma heard my words she hissed and stood from the bed.

"Emma love, why don't you give us some time alone?" Dad said turning the TV off.

"Are you sure?" She asked not taking her eyes from me. Dad nodded and she left in a blur. He faced me and grabbed my hands.

"I never implied for you to stop loving him, just not to forgive him so easily." Dad said suddenly, frustration evident in his tone of voice.

"Dad I haven't forgiven what he did. Do you see me with him romantically? We talked about this and agreed that I need a lot of time to process everything. But I need to ask you something." I waited for his full attention to be on me. "If I get back with him, how are you going to act?"

"I'm never going to forget what he did. You know the council gave their backs to what he did because they respect you and didn't want to hurt you more, but I'm not them. I can't erase from my mind what he did to that girl and how he treated you." He took a breath, passing his hand through his hair. "But you're my daughter and recently I've forgotten what my priority is. To make everything possible for you to be happy."

"I want to make you happy too." I whispered and lowered my face as I felt tears wanting to spill. "So what now dad?"

We stayed in silence for a while, I was afraid of looking into his eyes and see once again how I was hurting him. "Amelia," Dad spoke after a while. "I'm leaving."

"NO!" He didn't have to tell me what he truly meant for me to understand. He was leaving La Push, leaving me to have my life. "You can't leave me so soon. We agreed that you were going to see your grandkids grow and be their grandfather."

"I know what I said, but I want to make you happy and my presence is always going to intrude in your relationship with Kaleb." He stood from the bed and started pacing around the room.

"Don't you see that all I've wanted since I was little is a family and now that I finally have it you're leaving me? God I never thought you could be so thickheaded and self-centered. You say that all you want is to make me happy, if you leave that's going to hurt." The last part came as barely a whisper as I didn't have any more strength to continue fighting.

I stood up and started to head out of the room, I was tired and all I wanted was to be with my babies. To hold their tiny bodies and marvel at how beautiful they are. "Wait…" I stopped and turned around slowly. "Okay I'm staying, but with one condition."

"What?"

"I'll let you live your life but if he hurts you again I won't hold back this time. Last time it took a lot of restraint not to hurt him, if he do it again there will be no restraints and if there's anything left of him, I will make sure that the council take action for his wrongdoing." My alpha side wanted to come out as dad used such strong words towards me. I wanted to growl at him and make him see that I was the one in charge, but I took a deep breath and after calming down agreed.

I was sure that Kaleb wasn't going to hurt me again. Of course my heart was still very guarded and I still didn't trust him completely, but I was sure he had learned his lesson the same way as I did. Not being with him, as my body and soul wanted, has made me realize that I could survive.

After the conversation with dad, I went to the kitchen where Kaleb and Mathias were feeding the triplets. Of course Mathias was holding Eli and as I stood on the entryway, I couldn't help but smile at the adoration that was evident in his eyes.

After Mathias imprinted on my baby, we had a long serious talk. He told me a lot of things about his life that nobody knew. Apparently he is very good at keeping his mind shut and none of the pack members knew about his life. He has been living alone, in the outskirts of La Push, since he turned eighteen. His dad never accepted the fact that his son is gay and decided to keep him away. Mathias didn't complain as his dad paid for his place and studies as long as he kept his relationships and sexual preferences hidden. Knowing about his life has made me see him in another way and accept him in our family.

"Hey is everything okay?" Kaleb asked me as he saw me watching them. I only nodded as I knew they must have heard the whole conversation between dad and me.

I took Daniel in my arms and started giving him his bottle. As the doctors recommended, I wanted to breast feed them, but now that I was back as a wolf, my body stopped developing milk making the task impossible.

I looked at Kaleb as he feeds Addison, from what I see she has already stolen his heart more than the boys. He looks at me and as always, once our eyes meet is very hard to break the connection. I feel my heart constrict as I see how much love and adoration reside in his eyes. The moment was broken when Mathias spoke.

"Aren't you suppose to be at the council meeting in ten minutes?" He asks looking at his watch. I stop looking at Kaleb and see that he's right.

A couple of days after I phased once again, I made a meeting with the pack and told them what things were going to change. One of the changes was that I was finally taking my official position in the reservation's council. The position was offered to dad originally, but he declined it as he didn't know how long he was staying in the Rez. Sam told me that being alpha meant I was seen as chief but that didn't mean I had to be on the council. I took my spot because I wanted to know more about what was going on everywhere in the Rez and how to better deal with the problems that came.

After finishing to feed Daniel, I left and met with Quil who was heading the same way. He had finally taken the spot his grandfather has left him in the council and tonight was his first meeting. Most of the meetings consisted of discussing the reservations' finances and security, but the rest was dull talking. Of course most of the council people didn't know about the pack of shape shifters that protected the Rez from vampires and other human threats, so these matters were only discussed between Sam, Quil and I.

Time passed really fast as a routine was established. Before my eyes the triplet grew really fast, too fast for my liking, but I still marveled at how beautiful and perfect they are. Every day that passes Daniel and Eli looked more like Kaleb and Addison more like me, only I sometimes saw a lot of characteristics that came from Leah, like the shape of her eyes.

When the triplets started to sleep better at night, Kaleb only stayed when I really needed him. I could see that dad didn't agree of this, but as he promised, he kept his mouth shut. Slowly our relationship started to grow, we would spend minutes just starting into each other's eyes, marveling at how much love I could see in his deep brown ones. Also there were time that he would touch me lightly when no one was looking, a caress in my hand, or cheek, but things didn't go farther.

Without noticing it was already February and I was nervous as it was Valentine's Day. I suspected that Kaleb was going to do something, but no one let out what it was, not even the guys when I did patrols with them. Sometimes I would see dad giving a hard look to Kaleb, but he also didn't tell me what was going on.

As night approached I was beginning to believe that it was all in my head and Kaleb wasn't going to do anything special. I was in the living room with the triplets and Mathias when he arrived only wearing his shorts.

As always he went first to the triplets and gave them equal love and attention. They already could smile and sometimes release a squeal of laughter, especially when their daddy was with them. My heart would swell with pride whenever I saw him with them, it was pure love what I saw all the time. Moments like this made me forget about what he did, it was like seeing him for the first time and meeting his true self.

I saw that Mathias was looking at Kaleb with a knowing expression and I was getting impatient. "So ummm… is everything fine with your new job?" I asked Kaleb trying to form small talk, the silence was making me anxious. Just yesterday he had started a second job as a waiter in a small diner in Forks. He didn't have a lot of hours but the job was necessary as taking care of triplets financially wasn't cheap. Dad had offered to pay for a lot of the expenses but Kaleb wanted to be the biggest contributor.

"Yeah, I'm still getting accustomed to all the orders but I'm catching up quickly." He answered. "Mathias you don't mind babysitting the triplets for a while right?"

"Wait, why would Mathias have to look after the babies?"

"Because I want you to run with me for a little while." He said with a normal tone, like he wasn't planning anything interesting. Since I phased again, I hadn't done patrols with him as one of us always stayed with the babies, so that meant I haven't been in his mind.

"Why do you want to run with me, is there a special reason?" I asked with an impish smile. Mathias chuckled but didn't say anything, he usually stays out of our interactions.

"Okay, I just want to show you something and it can only be reached by being a wolf. So get ready so we can come back before its time to feed the babies again." I didn't complain and went to put on some shorts and a tattered shirt.

After ten minutes we were on our wolf form and running at top speed through the woods. It has been such a long time since I've been in Kaleb's head and what I was hearing shocked me. Feeling the same pain I felt all the time coming from him was an eye opening. Yes I knew he was also suffering, but actually feeling it made me see things from another point of view. What was the point in suffering if we could find happiness by being together.

We didn't talk directly about how we were feeling, but let each other drown in the complication of things. Even though everyone was keeping out of our relationship, I could still feel how a lot of them, especially dad, disagree of how things were moving.

Very soon I realized why we needed to be in wolf form to get to the place. We were deep in the woods and once in a while we could only move forward as an animal, a human would be stuck.

Finally Kaleb stopped abruptly and faced me. _We're almost there, I'm going behind that tree so we can phased back. _And left without any more explanation of where we were.

I phased and put my clothes on. Just as I was buttoning my shorts, Kaleb came from behind a tree. "Ready?"

I nodded and he guided me to where we were headed. I gasped as we finally got out of the woods and saw the place. It was a common opening in the middle of the woods, but candles had been placed all around the place making it magical. Right in the middle was a blanket and basket with food. Butterflies and fireflies flew all around making me feel as I was in another world.

Kaleb grabbed my hand gently and guided me to the blanket. He didn't let go of me as we sat and I didn't mind. His warm hands were sending jolts of energy through my whole body, making my heart and stomach do flips. "Did you make all this?" I asked breathless.

"Well I had the help of the guys, but the idea was mine. I wanted to make something special and private at the same time. So a week ago I found this place and realize it is perfect. Here I brought sandwiches and fruits." He started to get things out of the basket. He was speaking very fast, as if he was nervous.

I couldn't take my eyes from him, from his perfect body. I was stuck in watching how his muscles would pop a little as he flexed his arm to take the food out. His scent was intoxicating like never before and I was drowning in it. My heartbeat probably gave me away as he raised his head and looked at me with a raised eyebrow.

"Are you okay?"

I shook my head. "All of this is perfect and beautiful. I think I'm falling for you again."

"And why is that bad?" He asked getting closer.

"I'm scared of you hurting me again." After that we stayed in silent. I could see in Kaleb's eyes he was thinking on what to say next.

"I've learned my lesson. I would be less than a man if I hurt you again and I've grown so much. You have no idea how much my way of thinking have changed since I broke our relationship and since I became a father. I know that there shouldn't be any secrets between us and too bad I learned that the hard way. Please Amelia, I don't want you to be afraid of me hurting you again. I think we're ready for a second chance." The whole speech he said it holding my hand and staring deep into my eyes.

Without thinking I started to inched closer. His words had given me the little push I needed and I let my instincts guide me. I closed my eyes as I felt his lips on mine and finally I saw everything clearly. I was deeply in love with Kaleb Addison Early and nothing was ever going to change that. All this time that love was simply dormant and hidden very deep in my thoughts and heart, but now all was pouring out and I didn't mind it.

I deepened the kiss and savored the taste I've missed so much. I've forgotten how well our lips fit together and how having him so close made me feel. We were both trembling but not because we were scared or angry, but because our bodies were finally getting what they wanted. I was in a place where only the two of us existed, I was feeling like imprinting once again, my whole world was revolving around him. I couldn't control my actions or how my emotions exploded into thousands of colors behind my eyelids and it was an unique experience that I could only have it with Kaleb.

Kaleb broke the kiss but stayed close, his forehead against mine. "I love you." He whispered. His hot breath caressing my flushed cheeks, making me shiver with contentment.

I grabbed his face and made him look at me. I wanted to see his eyes and make sure that he was truly sincere, even though I knew in my heart he was. "I love you too." I said after seeing pure love in his eyes.

The rest of the night we spent it eating and having the good time we haven't had in a long time, we mostly talked a lot. As we finished we lay on the blanket and stared at the stars. At least that's what we did at the beginning. As the night fell deeply I found myself looking intently at his eyes and he was looking at me back.

"I don't want to be away from you ever again." He said and caressed my face gently. Once again we started to kiss only this time I let go completely. Deep down I was still a little scared of giving myself completely to him, but as he touched me, my insecurities flew away. I was once again in the perfect place were nothing else mattered, only mine and Kaleb's body fusing as one, our souls becoming one once again.

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**Kaleb's POV**

I couldn't believe I had my Amelia once again in my arms. Her body fit perfectly against mine and her warmth and scent were driving me insane. I couldn't stop touching and kissing her, it was like denying your favorite food for a very long time and finally eating it again.

"We should start heading back." I said but didn't make any move. I was on my back with Amelia lying on my chest, one of her arms wrapped around my neck while the other played with my hair.

"Why?" She asked with a tired voice. I could see her eyes were drooping with sleepiness. "I just want to stay here with you all night."

"Well we can but I think our babies might miss their mommy and daddy." I said placing a sweet kiss on her forehead.

Ami gave a small laugh and raised her face so she could see me better. "God when I'm with you I forget everything, but yeah we have to get back. I want to hug and smell each one of our babies." She said and stood up. I marveled at Ami's perfect body for a while before standing up and started to pick up the pieces of clothing that were all over the clearing.

Most of the candles were out, so we were standing in complete darkness only it didn't affect our heightened vision. We gathered all the things, put them next to a tall tree so the guys could pick them later and phased so we could head back.

If being in Ami's head before was exhilarating, now was mind blowing. Her mind was full of images very vibrant and full of so many emotions. All of them revolved around me and all of my thoughts revolve around her. Some moments both our thoughts would stray to our babies, but mostly we were replaying our previous love making.

I was very happy and at the peak of my life where nothing could bring me down. I had my imprint, lover and beautiful wife back in my life and to top it all, three beautiful babies that represented our eternal love.

I was smiling all the time, even when then next day Seth came into the house after hunting with Emma. He only saw our faces and knew that Amelia had forgiven me completely. I got scared for the safety of the babies when he started to shake violently not noticing where he was going to phase. We were in the kitchen finishing to feed the babies. Only Amelia, Mathias, Thomas and I were in there and as soon as he started to lose control we reacted.

With the help of Thomas, I pushed Seth outside. It took no time for him to phase and attack me. I phased, shreds of clothes everywhere, and avoided his impact as much as I could by rolling to the side, he still gashed my back leg a little.

_You're going to hurt her again and I won't allow it. _He growled and launched himself again, this time hitting me directly. I was a good fighter, but still Seth had a lot of experience and was faster than me. We rolled around and ended when we hit, very hard, a pine tree.

Another head joined us and it was Amelia. _Go inside the woods now, the neighbors are going to hear or see you. _She commanded, giving us no choice but to do as she said.

Once inside the woods, Seth didn't hesitate and attacked me again. _I love her Seth, I'm not going to hurt her again. _I shouted in my head but he didn't want to listen. We were rounding each other while snarling and pawing the ground. His thoughts were full of images of Amelia when we broke up. My body was trembling as I saw her lifeless and without indications that she was still alive. Without wanting I was releasing howls painful ones.

_Dad please! _Amelia finally came between us and faced Seth. _Please see into my thoughts and realize how much I love him and he loves me. Finally things are coming together, I have beautiful triplets that I love with all my heart. Kaleb and I are back together and all that is left is having my father accept how I feel and how things will go from now on._

_I CAN'T! _He growled again, but this time didn't try to attack me. He looked abruptly to the side and Emma appeared already hissing and ready to attack any of us if we did anything to Seth. Seconds later our minds were joined by the others and minutes later Luke, Thomas, Cody, Matthew and Jayson joined us. The only one missing was Mathias; I bet he stayed with Eli, Addison and Daniel, and Embry that had stopped phasing a couple of months ago.

_Seth stop this, they're meant to be together._

_Don't you want Amelia to be happy?_

_Dude Kaleb has changed._

_Why don't you want them together?_

_The past is the past._

Thoughts after thoughts invaded us. All the guys were trying to get passed Seth's anger and fury but it wasn't until Embry appeared that he indicated that he was paying attention. All of us were shocked as Embry had promised Catlyn not to phase again.

_Can all of you leave us alone, I want to have a private talk with my best friend. _Embry said. I could hear in Ami's thoughts she was very hurt by Seth's attitude, so she was the first one to phase back.

We were sitting around the living room, no one speaking as we didn't know what to say. I was sitting next to Ami trying to comfort her as she was crying. "Maybe we shouldn't have."She only said but I knew what she meant. She was regretting forgiving me.

I stood up abruptly and started to pace around. "How could you say that? We love each other, there's no doubt there. GOD…"I was shouting, unable to control all the feelings that were coursing through my veins. I stopped moving when the babies woke up and started to cry.

"I'm sorry."Ami whispered as she picked up Addison while I picked up Eli and Daniel. Of course Mathias was by my side immediately and took Eli from me.

I was kissing Ami sweetly when Seth's scent invaded us and I knew he was in the living room. I broke the kiss and looked to where he was standing, Emma still protectively in one side and Embry in his other. All the guys were looking between us, not daring say anything as it was personal business.

"I'm sorry for the way I acted. I promised something to you Ami and didn't keep it. You're not a little girl anymore Amelia and I'm going to back off and let you make your decisions and live your life. I guess the anger I feel has blinded me and wouldn't let me see how much Kaleb has change." All this he said with a dead tone until he looked at our shocked faces.

"So I guess you'll be moving with him again, I don't mind as long as you come here all the time for me to be with my grandkids and let them stay as they still have their room. One last thing." He faced me. "You hurt her and I'll hunt you until you're dead, you hear me?"

"Yeah, no worries I won't." I said, actually feeling scared of the angry face he was giving me. At least he was showing some emotions.

That night we all had dinner as a big family. Once again Amelia and I got stuck by the hip and only separated when the babies needed something. I was still dazed that things were finally moving in a better direction. I felt deep down that we had all changed for the better and even though Seth was still giving me the cold shoulder, I was hoping one day he was going to relent and see how happy I was making my Amelia, my imprint, my wife.

****Oh and Happy Christmas, New Years and all the other celebrations all of you do around this time... Oh and there might some problems with leaving Reviews, you can PM me.  
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	14. Bonus: Chapter Closure

**A/N:** _Okay this chapter is a closure to the current story. As you know from now on I'll be discussing Sophie and Luke, including the next generation. I wanted to do it in Thomas POV as his life was never complicated and full of love. Its a short chapter but I just wanted to give you a little happy moment before starting the common drama that surrounds the pack members and families. _

_I also might start the story of Seth, before all this and before he imprinted on Emma. When he was a happy kid that believed that life was all happiness if you set your heart to it. 'm still trying to find a Title for the story, so if any of you have an idea let me know. The story will show how he fell in love in a normal way and then everything gets upside down when he imprints... _

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**Bonus: Chapter Closure**

**Thomas POV**

I never thought this day would come so fast. I'm nervous as hell, but I know that today is going to be perfect no matter what happens. I remember the day I finally got the courage and proposed, everything went as planned.

It was her birthday and I had told her that I was taking her to dinner in Port Angeles. Instead I took her to the cliffs. Previously, with the help of mom and my little sister, I had prepared the place. Flowers and candles were everywhere and in the middle a table with a white mantle. Two candles were the only illumination between us and I loved how her eyes were big when she took everything in.

After a delicious dinner mom made, we sat on a blanket and talked for hours. It was after midnight and the next surprise was going to start. I had read in the internet that tonight was going to pass a rain of shooting stars. I didn't have to look at the sky to know it has started. Andy's face was glowing and her big blue eyes reflected the bright lines the falling stars left in the sky.

I took the moment of her distraction and extracted from my pocket the small, black box. Inside was a simple ring, silver band with a tear shape diamond. I got on one knee and grabbed her left hand. She immediately gasped, realizing what I was doing.

"Alexandrea will you marry me." My voice was trembling as I said those words. She only nodded and wrapped her arms around my neck, giving me sweet small kisses all over my face. As I slid the ring on her third finger I felt like the luckiest person alive.

Now as I look in the mirror finishing getting ready the nerves starts to get the better of me. I can't get my tie done as my fingers feel like they belong to someone else.

"Need any help?" I look behind me and my father is standing on the doorway. "It's normal to be nervous. I remember on my wedding I was knocking everything over as I couldn't stand still."

"I feel the same." I said as he helped me with the tie. I was only wearing black pants, a white long sleeve shirt, rolled up until the elbows and a black vest with grey tie.

"Don't worry after both of you say 'I do' everything will go smoothly. There all done." He said stepping back to check his work. "I can't believe you're getting married today, time flew so fast. It seems like it was yesterday when I used to chase you all around the backyard because you didn't want to take a bath, now today you're becoming a full man in the same spot."

Dad's eyes were shining with tears that wanted to spill. As I watched him I knew how it must feel to see your kids grow up, get married and leave to make their own lives. Without hesitation I take the few steps separating us and hug him hard. I feel him take a deep breath and release it, patting my back in the process.

I hear someone sniffing in the doorway and look only to see my mom dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief. "Oh my little boy!!" She wails and flung herself at both of us. It was funny as both of us covered her completely.

After minutes of just the three of us hugging, we realized that is time. As I step into my backyard I feel like I'm living a dream. Andy was the one who decided to have the wedding in there as it's very spacious and private, tall trees surround the whole perimeter. In the middle there's this big tree, the branches make a natural tent. When I was little this used to be mine and Matthew's favorite place to play and now it's the place where I'll be getting married.

A few white chairs were placed in front of the tree; the aisle was made of flowers thrown in between the rows of chairs. Most of the people already sitting were from the Rez as only a few were from Andy's side. Her family was really small and not everyone could travel. In the other side of the backyard were tables adorned under circular, paper lanterns that made everything look like it came out of a fairytale.

I took my place in front of the big tree and waited impatiently for everyone to take their place and for Andy to come down the aisle. Kaleb stood next to me and gave a big, reassuring smile. As I was the best man on his wedding, I thought I should ask him to be the same in mine as he's the only real friend I've had in a long time. In the front row sat some of Andy's closest family, a crying mom, dad, Anna my little sister and Matthew. Next to him was a pretty girl, even though I couldn't see her well. She was his current girlfriend as ever since he turned fifteen and discovered the pleasure of being with a woman, he has changed of girlfriends as he changes socks. I'm really worried about his decisions but no one, not even mom and dad, can get through his thick head.

When the slow music started and I saw Andy step out of the house, her dad leading her, my heart stopped and I couldn't breathe properly. Kaleb patted me on the back and chuckled lightly as he knew how it felt to see your imprint and love walk down the aisle dressed in white. Andy's dress was simple and not traditional, but as soon as she saw it, she knew it was the one. It reached above the knees and the top was strapless. She was beautiful, looking like a flower before blooming.

When her dad placed her hand in mine, I couldn't stop looking in her eyes. They were really big and the usual blue was pulsating with many emotions.

We decided to have a traditional ceremony followed by a short part of the Quileute ceremony. It all passed really fast and when the reverend declared us married I grabbed Andy, so she could be at eye level with me, and kissed her hard not caring what everyone would think or say.

"I love you." I whispered in her ear over and over again as I lowered her to the ground. Finally I was completely hers and she was mine. I was still in a daze, not believing completely that I was married to the most beautiful woman alive.

Immediately everyone went to the reception area and took their place. In the middle was an open space that served as a dance floor. Everything was going smoothly and everyone was having a good time. Once in a while someone would come to our table and congratulate us. I was really happy to see Kaleb and Amelia still very happy and in a stronger relationship.

Ever since their split and reconciliation, those two had bonded strongly and you barely see them apart. For this past New Year's party they reclaimed their vows and since then it's like they got married again. Daniel, Eli and Addison are almost two years old and the most adorable and lovable triplets of the Rez. Mathias of course became a part of the family as he barely leaves Eli's side and whenever he isn't around, Eli becomes bloom and is evident his missing his 'Madie' as he calls him.

Seth is still a little dubious with Ami's decision to forgive completely Kaleb's actions, but he's doing his best in not showing it and making his daughter happy. Some of us can see in his head, as we do patrols, that his regretting some of the things he did, but the hatred towards what Kaleb did is still covering part of his heart. Whenever he gets mad, he takes a trip with Emma and none of us see him for months.

As always once in a while some vampires try to get close to our reservation, but we get rid of them. Nothing big has happened, only a few months ago Embry suffered a bad injury while fighting a newborn leech. His left arm was crushed completely and it took him two months to recuperate as much as he could, he still can't move it well. He took the accident as a sign that it was time for him to retire completely and live a happy life with Catlyn, his two sons, Khrys and Élan, and future daughter as Cat is five months pregnant.

I watched Luke as he sat with Sophie in his lap. I wonder how their relationship is going to turn out, but all we can expect is for them to be happy. I sometimes see how protective he gets when Sophie is with Élan or any other boy. They're still kids but Luke is in a stage where he sees Sophie as a little sister and he doesn't want anyone to hurt her. I can see in the pack's minds that we all wonder how things will go if she never sees Luke in a lovers way, but none of us bring the subject up as it's too painful.

I think about all this as I watch everyone have a good time. My heart is big with contentment and nothing seems to ruin how well our lives are going. I look at my Alexandrea and can't stop wondering how our lives will grow and develop. How many kids we will have? Will they look like me or her? Am I going to be able to make her happy as she makes me happy?

I push these questions aside and only marvel at how a happy man I am in that moment. "Are you happy?" I ask my wife. That word resonates in my head and a smile spreads on my lips.

"Yeah, you know I am. I don't regret anything about my life ever since you came into my path. Even though I sometimes do extreme things and don't think before doing something, when it comes to you I don't mind the outcome." She said and buried her face in my chest.

The night dies down as we dance in the middle of everything. The voices and music disappears and all I see and feel in my love in my arms. A chapter of our lives close, but another opens and all we can do is live and confront the problems as they come.

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**** I added some pics of the engagement ring, wedding and their outfits at the Webs Gallery. The link is in my profile so check them out... also Leave Reviews as Always. And remember you might have problems with leaving your review... send me PM if you have problems.  
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	15. Bad Girl

**A/N: **_I'm sorry that I'm taking so long in writing the chapters, buts its just that when a long period of time passes in the story, I have to start organizing all the new generation and put to all of them characteristics and attitudes. Its not easy... _

_Now its been around eleven or ten years since the last chapter... so Sophie is a grown teenager girl, all hormonal. The chapter is not that long but it shows how she has grown and who she has become... hope you enjoy it. **Remember to Review!!!**_

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**Chapter 13: Bad Girl**

**Sophie's POV**

"Sophie wake up, baby!" I groaned and rolled around, getting more comfortable in my bed. The sheets were really warm, inviting me to sleep a little more. "Come on get up, you have to help your dad at the shop." My mom once again shook me slightly and patted my back.

I opened my eyes a little and saw it was 7:00am. I groaned again and sat in my bed, rubbing my still sleepy eyes. "Why do I have to help dad at the shop today?" I asked with a whinny voice.

"Because you promised, remember?" Mom said standing from my bed and heading out of the room. I stretched and remembered immediately that I did promise to help him with the shop's paperwork. My dad, with Embry Call, owns a car shop in the outskirts of La Push and once in a while Michal or I would help him.

I got out of bed and opened the window curtains. It was mid July and finally I could see a clear day beginning. No clouds were visible in the horizon and the warm sun was appearing through the tall trees surrounding the house. These past weeks has been raining nonstop, making the summer feel not like summer at all. With one last look and inhale of the beautiful, new day, I tore myself from the window and got ready for the day at the shop.

Once completely dressed, I headed to the kitchen for a quick breakfast. Not to my surprise Luke was already there eating, as always. A smiled spread on my face without my consent as I sat in a stool next to him. Mom immediately started to put my breakfast on the counter.

"Good morning sunshine" Luke said after swallowing his scramble eggs with sausages. He mussed my hair in an affectionate way that always made my heart swelled. Ever since I can remember, Luke has been in my life and the days I didn't see his big smile were sad and gloomy.

"Good morning." I answered back stifling a yawn. "Do you have to do patrol today after work?" I asked nibbling at my scramble eggs. I wasn't that hungry as it was too early for my liking.

"Yep." He said popping the 'p' loudly. "Why do you ask?"

"Oh I just wanted to go to Port Angeles to buy some stuff. But mom can't take me as Michal has soccer practice today, so I was wondering if you could take me." I saw how his face became strained, like he was having an internal battle.

"I would like to take you, but I've already missed a lot of my patrols and Ami literally grabbed me by the neck and told me she wasn't going to accept any more slacking. But maybe I could take you on Wednesday, I don't think I have to work that day, I'll have to check my schedule." All this time he had been rambling without breathing and not noticing my crooked smile. Sometimes I wonder if Luke is human at all, with his ability to change expressions and thoughts so fast, well he's a wolf after all, how could I forget.

"It's okay, you don't have to if you can't. I don't want Aunt Ami to kill you." I said as dad came into the kitchen already in his work clothes, a blue overall that had grease all over. He gave mom a sweet, meaningful kiss, which left her breathing hard, and went to the dining table where his breakfast was waiting for him.

"You know I always find a way around Ami's rules, I'll do anything for you." Luke said caressing my cheek softly. The skin over my arms and neck got covered in goosebumps and a shiver ran down my spine. I sometimes got confused of how I felt towards Luke. I wanted to see him as an uncle or at least as the older cousin he was, but when he touched me liked that my thoughts got jumbled and I wanted him in a more intimate way. It was wrong but I couldn't control how my heart was feeling. I closed my eyes and melted in his touch, my heart accelerating.

He probably felt my reaction as he removed his hand very fast, the way only a werewolf could move, leaving my cheek burning hot. I opened my eyes only to see my dad give Luke a hard look and grunted in disagreement. Luke has always given me everything, something my parents didn't agree of as they said I was been spoiled, but I knew the hard look was meant for the way he sometimes touched me.

They always let me be with him at all times, even stay at his house to sleep, but when they saw how I reacted to his touch or actions, they didn't like it as if they could sense how I was truly feeling. I knew they were protecting me; they didn't want to see me fall for a guy that was out of my reach, like a silly high school girl. Luke would never put his eyes on me the way I wanted, why would he? I was a puny, fifteen year old girl, with no experience in relationships and too top it all he only saw me as family, as his baby cousin. I wonder how everyone would react if they knew how I saw Luke?

I gave him a small smile and continued to eat, well more pretend as my stomach was in knots.

As dad finished eating, I stood from my stool really fast, grabbed an apple on my way out, as I didn't eat anything, and followed him to his car. Dad has always been my hero, the only man, apart from Luke, that has a huge part of my heart. He's very compassionate, funny, loves my mom to the extreme and his kids the same. But what I liked more about him was his way of perceiving things no one else can see.

"Is there something wrong baby?" He asked me as he drove down the main street that got us to the car shop. "Because you didn't eat your breakfast and now you're extremely quiet."

"I'm fine, just still a little sleepy. Last night I fell asleep around one in the morning." I said rubbing my eyes to give effect.

"And why did you fell asleep so late? If I may know."

"I was talking through the computer with Élan and didn't pay attention to the time." He just nodded and continued driving without any more questions. He probably knew there was more that I wasn't saying, but didn't press the matter.

I had actually fallen asleep really late talking to Élan, so I wasn't lying. He was my best friend and companion in crimes since we were in diapers, and I couldn't ask for a better person for that position. While I'm outspoken and like to socialize, Élan is very shy and the only person he talks to openly is me.

In school I'm going to be a sophomore while Élan a freshman but as he doesn't have a lot of friends, he'll probably hang out with me, not that I mind.

Very soon dad and I arrived at the shop. Embry was already there and to my surprise so was Élan, apparently dad and Embry agreed in making us work over the summer. Being daddy's only girl meant he gave me everything, but I had to earn it. Usually things only cost putting a sad puppy face and saying please, but this summer I had to work to get what I wanted.

Soon was going to be my birthday, mom and dad knew that all I wanted was a car, even if it was a piece of scrap. Luke was willing to give it to me, but dad told him not to even think about it. If I wanted something that expensive I had to earn it. I bet he would have immediately given me what I wanted if it wasn't for my poor grades and two suspensions I got this past semester.

I was usually a student with average grades, but this past semester I discovered that I wasn't compatible with any kind of math, making the subject an alien language to me. To top that I had to take French, all I have to say is that a D+ is good as I didn't flunk it. But mom and dad said I could have done so much better.

The two suspensions weren't completely my fault. The first one if Jen, one of my friends, would have kept an eye out while I smoke behind the bleachers, I wouldn't have gotten caught by Mrs. Whales, the principal. The second one was unfairness as Mr. Green, the history teacher, didn't agree with me in my opinion about the many wars around the world, which ended in a heated argument.

"Hey I didn't know you were also dragged to do this." Élan greeted me, as always talking so low that I had to get very close to get what he was saying.

"Well you know _dad_ is being stubborn in buying me a car for my sixteenth birthday, so he's making me work for it." I said loud enough so dad would hear me from inside the garage.

"You offered your help I didn't force you, I just suggested it." He was right. A while back he was talking about needing some extra help over the summer as one of the guys took a vacation leave and I offered myself by thinking it would get to his good side.

"Yeah, yeah I know." I said and went to the office to start arranging the papers that were supposed to be organized in the archives, but instead were all over the place. I spent all day doing my job, only stopped at lunch so I could eat a couple of slices from the pizza Embry had bought.

Around 4:00pm I finished doing all I had planned to do that day and went to the garage area to see what the others were doing. Dad and Embry had a fairly amount of customers and as the shop was situated in a main street a lot of people came. But today was one of those days that went slow and there wasn't much to do around.

Dad was sitting on top of a small tower of tires, watching as Embry taught Élan some basic things, like changing oil. "Are you done for the day?" Dad asked me as soon as he saw me.

"Yep… hey Élan are you done?"

Élan poked his head from under the car's hood; his right cheek was smeared with grease. "Almost, why do you ask?"

"The sun is out, which is rare, and I wanted to go to the beach. At least until the sun sets."

"Okay."

* * *

Fifteen minutes later we were on our way to First Beach. Sitting on the handlebars of Élan's bike while he rode it fast has been our tradition since he learned how to ride. It was exhilarating and I felt free as the wind whipped on my face. If I ever got a car, this was going to be one of the things I would miss sorely, but maybe we could still do it just for fun.

Soon we were at the beach. To my liking not a lot of people were there, just the common surfers and a few families with their kids.

Élan and I sat near the edge, only our bare toes felt the cold water. Our friendship was simple. We didn't have to talk all the time to be comfortable, so we just sat and watched the waves come and go. After a few minutes I removed my shirt, underneath I always wore a bathing suit as I'm always prepared for moments like this. Also bras are very uncomfortable, especially if you don't have a lot of breasts, the only complaint I have about my body.

I heard Élan groaned on my side. I faced him and saw him looking to my left with a frustrated expression. Wanting to know what he was seeing I also looked. Walking towards us was Freddie, my crush from school and well known bad boy. The guy that I was caught with as we smoked behind the bleachers. Élan always says that Freddie brings out the bad side of me, which is why he didn't like him.

"Hey Soph." Freddie said in his deep voice that made a lot of girls melt, and sat beside me.

"Hey, umm… what are you doing here?" A dull question but I didn't want to look stupid in front of him. He chuckled a little before answering.

"Just spending some time with my buddies." He pointed to a group of guys in the other side of the beach. "We're staying after dark and do a bonfire, do you want to stay with me and hang out?" Freddie knew how to make a girl feel like mush. All he had to do was look directly at you and give his best, white smile and you were all his. He was the typical American guy, dark hair, dark eyes and light skin, but his attitude made him very attractive.

I've known him since two years ago, when he moved to La Push with his family, and ever since he seems interesting in me but we've never had anything serious like a relationship. Maybe it's because I've never told him how he makes me feel.

"Yeah, that would be cool." I said forgetting completely that I wasn't alone, until Élan cleared his throat loudly.

"Sophie you know Quil is not going to let you, do you want to get in trouble?" As always, Élan being my voice of reason, but this time I didn't want to listen to that voice.

"I'll just call him and tell I'm staying at your house."

"I'm not going to cover for you. What if he finds out, I don't want to get in trouble with your dad." His voice barely a whisper but full of anger.

"Come on, you're my best friend." I begged, pouting my lips to add effect. "Just this once and I'll owe you big time."

"Fine!" He stood angrily and left without saying more.

"Okay, I guess he didn't want you to stay, was he jealous?" Freddie asked driving Élan's anger out of my mind.

"No, why would he be jealous? He's just my friend." He looked like he wanted to say otherwise, but decided against it.

"Come on let's get to the others." Freddie grabbed my hand to help me get up. A tingling sensation went up my arm and I giggled like one of those brainless girls. I immediately regretted it and blushed, it was so un-cool to giggle. He only laughed and wrapped his arm around my shoulder, taking me to where he friends were. Excitement filled my body as I felt the bad girl in me take over.

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_******I added the pic of Freddie in my Webs page... the link is on my profile._


	16. Blooming Woman

**A/N**: _Sorry for taking so long in writing this chapter... but it didn't want to come out right. Also I'm in the process of fixing Hidden Truth with a beta... as soon as I have a few chapters edited I'll start posting them and let you know. _

_I haven't received a lot of reviews lately, hopefully you will tell me what you think for this chapter... so please **Read and Review**. Enjoy!!_

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**Chapter 14: Blooming woman**

**Luke's POV**

Today was a long day at the hospital and all I wished to do was go to my apartment, get on my bed and sleep until morning, but instead I had to do patrol with Mathias and Amelia.

Once inside the forest, I stripped from my clothes, tied them to my leg and let the familiar burning sensation take over my body.

_Hey, _Mathias' sultry thoughts immediately invaded my tired mind.

I was already accustomed to all the guys' ways of thinking. Amelia and Kaleb were always on the same mind wave. Their thoughts went from images and emotions of how much they loved each other, to the love they felt toward Daniel, Addison and Eli, their triplets. Amelia's was slightly different, being alpha meant that sometimes her thoughts would get mixed up with the worry and protection she had for the pack and reservation.

Mathias was always thinking of Eli, his imprint. The triplets were turning thirteen very soon, and Eli, even though was the smallest of the three, was becoming a little man. Mathias couldn't help but notice these changes. He, like me, didn't see our imprints in a dirty, romantic way, but sometimes it was hard not to notice how much they were growing and becoming beautiful.

I've noticed how other guys looked at Sophie's developing body and I couldn't help it but get infuriated.

_Hey, where's Ami? _I asked Mathias as I didn't feel her thoughts or presence.

Being alpha gave Amelia the ability and mind strength to control and hide her thoughts. She learned this when all of us started to get tired of hearing her preference toward Kaleb.

_She hasn't phased yet, _he answered me. I saw he was waiting patiently under a tall tree near the beach.

_That's weird, _I said as I made my way to where he was. When I got there, I sat on my belly to wait.

_So how's work? _Mathias asked, yawning loudly in the process.

_Hectic. _I replayed all the chaos that consisted of my day at the hospital.

A common virus was spreading like dust in the wind around Forks, La Push and near towns. I spent all day treating people with fevers, headaches, runny noses, stomach ache, sore throat and many other symptoms.

_I thought you were now only working in the surgical department._

_Yeah, but when there's so many patients with the same sickness, all the certified personnel gets called to work at the clinic. It helps contain the virus, _I answered him.

Thanks to Dr. Cullen, I was able to continue my studies and get certified in surgical assistance. He was the one who helped me get a scholarship, so I could work less hours and dedicate more time to my studies. Otherwise I wouldn't have been able to pay my classes.

After five minutes Amelia finally phased. We immediately saw in her thoughts why she was late.

_What's wrong with Eli? _Mathias asked quickly when he saw that Eli was sick.

_He's got a fever and has been throwing up a lot since this morning, _Amelia said with a tired voice.

_Did you take him to the hospital? Luke was just telling me that there's a virus running around. _Mathias was getting worked up and a lot of images of Eli were passing through his mind.

_Yeah, I called Jared and he told me to take him to the hospital as fast as I could, so Kaleb took him. I'm late as I had to take Addie and Danny to Rachel's so she could look after them, _she said so Mathias would calm down. But it wasn't working.

_Ami, you know I've always been responsible with my patrols, but this once can I skip and be with Eli. He must be so scared; you know he doesn't like hospitals, _Mathias thought.

He usually didn't show his emotional side, but when it came to Eli, he didn't have any mind control at all.

_Fine, go! _Ami said back. She didn't want to spend all patrol seeing how worried Mathias was for her son.

Mathias didn't wait for anything else and left at top speed. Soon he phased out. His mind leaving us in silence.

_So its just you and me tonight._

_Yep, like old times, _I said, remembering when it was just the two of us and none of this wolf thing had come to our lives yet.

_So, how's Sophie? _Ami asked after minutes of running around the reservation.

_She's doing well. Quil has her working on the car shop. She wants a car for her sixteenth birthday, but Quil says she has to earn it. I would buy it for her but…_

_You're spoiling her, _Ami interrupted me.

Those words was all it took for me to drop the subject. I knew I was spoiling her since she was born, but it's hard to deny your imprint's requests.

Also, lately the pull was becoming stronger and I was noticing Sophie's physical appearance more. Noticing how her body was getting filled in the right places and how her face was becoming more of a woman's. It was weird as I was supposed to be what she wanted me to be.

Ami must have been attuned to my thoughts as she spoke. _Maybe her feelings are changing towards you._

_I don't thinks so. She still acts the same around me, _I said, staying immerse in my thoughts for a while. _Ami, how do you think things will go if we never become a couple? Will I be able to meet a woman, get married and have kids? Or will I stay alone, always following Sophie like a shadow? I'm scared. _The last thought was barely a whisper as I was putting in the open my deepest fears.

I could feel Ami thinking thoroughly about what I just confessed. Of course she was concern about my happiness.

Finally she answered with organized thoughts. _I don't know Luke. There's never been an imprint in which they don't end up together, but there hasn't either been an imprint among family like your case. Just trust what destiny has planned for us. You know there was a time that I thought it was a huge mistake my imprint with Kaleb, but things worked out and I can't be happier…._

It was almost one in the morning when we passed near first beach and heard loud music. We saw through the bushes some kids in the bonfire area and by the smell of it, there was alcohol and drugs involved.

Our sole purpose was to protect the area against vampires or other supernatural threats, but on occasions we also dedicated our services to maintain a good and safe environment. These include preventing some high school kids getting wasted and do things they'll regret later.

_Should we interfere, _I asked Ami after inspecting the area for a while.

_Come on, _Ami said, backing up a little so she could phase without being seen. I followed her and very soon we were back in human form.

We walked to the bonfire are, I was looking around to see who was drinking and using drugs when I spotted the last person I wanted to be there.

"Sophie," I whispered.

"Where?" Amelia had obviously heard me among all the loud music. She looked around until she saw Sophie on some guy's arms, they were kissing.

I didn't want to see my imprint like that, making out with another guy, but I couldn't get my eyes off of her. To me she was still the little girl I used to babysit or the one I taught how to ride a bike at the age of six. But there she was kissing a guy so fiercely, making my heart burn with rage.

"Whoa! Luke you need to think first and not do something stupid," Ami said. She was holding me with her hands on my bare chest. I hadn't realized that I was walking to where Sophie was. I wasn't out of control, but felt on edge.

"I won't do anything I'll regret. I just want to take Sophie out of here, she's not even suppose to be out this late," I said looking at Ami in the eyes so she could see that I was in control.

She let go of me so I could continue my way to Sophie, but kept close behind. Some of the kids stopped dancing or talking as they saw us. Maybe it was the unnatural size of our bodies or my death glare, but as we passed through the crowd, everyone got quiet.

I couldn't stop looking at Sophie; at the way that guy was touching her everywhere. My hands were shaking badly, but I was breathing deeply so I wouldn't lose control in front of all these kids.

"Get your hands off of her," I said through clenched teeth. My voice was strained and I felt like it was coming from someone else.

Sophie finally separated herself from the guy. She looked at me with unfocused eyes; I saw they were red, probably from drinking.

"Luke what are you doing here?" Sophie asked, finally realizing who was standing in front of her. Her words were slurred from too much drinking.

The guy didn't let go of her completely, keeping a protective arm around her waist and looking at me from head to foot.

"Come on, I'm taking you home." I grabbed her arm and pulled slightly, keeping in check my strength, I didn't want to hurt her.

"Did dad send you? I can't believe Élan told him, that ungrateful…"

"Quil doesn't know, but he will when I take you home," I interrupted, pulling her again.

"No, come on Luke, I'm having a good time, don't ruin it," She said. She was wearing a dreamy smile, probably the effects of drinking too much.

Sophie tried to get out of my hold, but instead of succeeding, she almost fell. I grabbed her completely on time, bringing her body to me so she wouldn't hurt herself.

"Look man, she doesn't want to leave, so let her go," the guy she was with finally got the courage to speak. He was standing tall, trying to intimidate me, even though I was way taller than him.

"Who are you?" I asked eyeing him from head to foot.

"I'm Freddie."

"Then look Freddie, stay out of my way." I deep growl came from within my chest. I was remembering that not long ago this guy had his hands all over my Sophie. "And if I were you, I would stay away from her, unless you want to get hurt."

"Luke please, he's just a friend," Sophie said from my chest, she was leaning against it.

"Just a friend, he was all over you!" I yelled. The anger was boiling, almost reaching the surface. I needed to calm down or I was going to lose my temper too near Sophie and I couldn't live with myself if I hurt her.

"What is your problem, dude, we were just having fun." Once again the idiot opened his mouth. It was funny how Freddie was trying to act tough, but I could see in his eyes that he was very scared. "So why don't you let go of Sophie, leave and let us continue to enjoy the party."

I let go of Sophie, she swayed on the spot but didn't fell. In a swift movement I was in front of Freddie, towering over him.

"I swear if you put one of your filthy hands on Sophie again, I will rip it out myself." My voice was stained as all I wanted to do was growl.

"Luke calm down," Amelia said from my side. She must have got close as she saw that I was losing control.

I noticed that the music was gone and most of the kids were heading away. Only a few remained, either they were too drunk to walk or were already passed out on the sand. Apparently Ami had told everyone that the party was over or she was going to call the police.

Freddie took a few steps back and fell when his feet hit a big log.

"You," Ami pointed at Freddie who was trying to stand up, "why don't you go home, we can take care of Sophie."

Freddie looked at both of us for a while before deciding it was better not to do something stupid. He got up and without looking back left to the parking area.

I took a few deep breaths and turned around. Ami was holding Sophie and telling her she was going to take her home.

"Aunt Ami I don't want to go home, dad's going to kill me," Sophie whined. She faced me and said. "Luke please can I stay with you. Pleaseeee, I'll repay you with anything."

My heart was wrenching by hearing her pleas. Ami was looking at me with serious eyes. I knew she was thinking that if I complied, she was going to stay out of it but she wasn't going to help me if Quil found out.

"Okay, you can stay with me," I said. Ami rolled her eyes and passed Sophie to me.

Sophie smiled weakly, her eyes were drooping. I got her in my arms and started running towards the woods. Ami phased and left in a blur of white fur, she was probably in a hurry to be with her family.

I wasn't living anymore with mom and dad; instead I had a small apartment in Forks, near the hospital. I moved when I realized I needed independence and to be near the hospital in case I was needed for an emergency.

The apartment building was new and in a perfect location as the back was near the woods that connects Forks to La Push. When I needed to go urgently to La Push for patrols or a vampire attack, all I did was pretend I was going for a run in the woods. People from around already knew I liked to run late at night.

When I got there no one was around as it was already really late. If someone saw me it wouldn't look good as I was half naked carrying a sleeping girl in my arms.

My apartment was on the third floor, facing the front of the building. It was just one bedroom, one bathroom, and a small kitchen/living room. All the furniture and decorations were thanks to my mom, if it was for me there would just be a bed, a couch and a dresser for my clothes.

Once inside the apartment I went directly to my room, but in the way Sophie thought otherwise. She moaned and without opening her eyes started to throw up.

"Not feeling good, Luke," she mumbled, rolling her face away from my chest where she threw up.

I huffed in frustration and went to the bathroom instead. I grabbed a towel, got it wet and started to clean the side of Sophie's face that was full of puke. It was useless, if I wanted to get her completely cleaned up, she had to take a shower but I didn't want to wake her up.

I cleaned as much as I could and took her to my room. Setting her on the bed, I left to finish cleaning my chest. When I got back, she was still in the same position, sprawled in the middle of my bed.

Sophie's shirt was still smeared with vomit, so I got one of my shirts from the dresser and decided to change her clothes. As I removed her pants I focused my vision on her face, I didn't want to see her body.

I started to think of when I did this when she was little and didn't want to take a bath unless I was the one to help her. She stopped doing it when she turned nine and her body started to change.

But now things were different. I didn't want to see how her hips had enhanced and become fuller. How beneath the shirt, her small breast were visible. I've heard her complain to Claire that she didn't have a lot of breasts, but to me she was perfect.

_Luke, you better stop thinking like that!_

Soon I had her in my shirt; it was long enough to cover her, reaching to her knees. I tucked Sophie under the sheets, placed a kiss on her forehead and left to clean the mess in the hallway and take a long shower that I needed.

Under the spray of water, I couldn't stop thinking of what would have happened if Ami and I wouldn't have gotten to that bonfire. Would have Sophie end up in that guy's house? How far she would let him get?

I couldn't think of those things. I felt my skin prickle and burn. I knew there was a possibility that one day she would meet another guy, fall in love and not be my little girl anymore. Even I wasn't seeing her as a little girl, instead as a blooming woman.

I got out of the shower, got dressed with some long pajama pants and went to my room. I usually slept naked as I got too hot, but tonight was different. I wasn't alone in my bed.

Once under the sheets, I froze, not knowing how to get comfortable without getting too close to Sophie. I knew I was acting stupid as it wasn't the first time that Sophie had slept in my bed. But the previous times either Michal also stayed, he would sleep on an air mattress, or my feelings weren't this jumbled up.

Again Sophie decided for me. In her sleep she rolled and got closer to me, her body molding to mine perfectly. I got on my side and wrapped an arm around her, tucking her under my chin so she was completely pressed to my body.

I inhaled her perfect scent, roses mixed with cinnamon. Very soon I closed my eyes and fell into a peaceful sleep where everything was perfect because I had my imprint, the love of my life, safely in my arms.

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**A/N:**_ I added some pics of Luke's apartment in my Webs page... link is on my profile._


	17. Life of My Own

**A/N:** _Finally I finished this chapter. I have an excuse. I started writing this chapter last week as its was when i got inspired, but on Monday I got really sick, vomiting, so I spent all day at the hospital. Literally all day and without eating... the ER are so good. (sarcastic tone)_

_So to some of you things might be going too slow, but I promise to speed things up a little, so don't stop reading..._

_The last chapter was Luke found Sophie drunk and with a boy. This one is the next morning and from now on the time will pass faster... Hope you enjoy it and give me your support by Reviewing!!_

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**Chapter 15: Life of My Own**

**Luke's POV**

I was awoken suddenly by and insistent giggling. It took a while to situate myself in the present time and find out why I heard a giggle. I opened my eyes abruptly when I remembered finding Sophie very drunk and bringing her to my apartment.

Just as I expected Sophie was curled on my side, her back to me, apparently sleeping. I inched closer to see if she was really sleeping or pretending. Once again she giggled, the sound making my heart soar with glee.

"Why are you giggling?" I whispered in her ear.

"You're poking me," she said with an evident smile on her lips.

At first I didn't understand what she was referring to, but then I became aware of my body pressed against hers and the hardness pressing to her lower back. I jumped and put as much space between us, almost falling off the bed.

"I'm sorry," I said, covering the noticeable bulge in my pajama pants with the pillow. Immediately my body ached to feel Sophie's delicate body against mine. I resisted the urge to get close to her again, afraid of doing something that was going to scare her.

"Don't be embarrassed Luke. I have a father, brother and a best friend that is a guy; I know that is normal for a guy to wake up like that." Sophie sat up and let herself fall back rapidly. She groaned and covered her eyes. "Ugh…my head's killing me. Now, can you tell me what happened last night? Why am I wearing your shirt and my mouth taste like something died in it?"

"You don't remember?" I couldn't keep out of my voice the bitterness as images of how I found her came flooding back.

"No, just that I went to this bonfire party with a friend from school, I must have drunk too much," she said, moving so she was facing me. "How did you find me? Did Élan call you?"

"I was doing patrols with Ami when we stumbled with your little party." My strong tone made Sophie flinch slightly. I knew she was scared, I could see it in her eyes. "What were you thinking? Getting drunk like that and being with a guy that you say is only your friend…"

"Don't yell like that, my head is pounding," she whined.

"No Sophie, you need to suffer the consequences," I said. Ignoring the pang in my heart as I knew I was hurting my imprint. I let out a huff of air so I could calm my anger. "Why did you go to that party and got drunk?"

"I don't know," she said not meeting my eyes. "I guess I want to have a normal teenager's life. Dad doesn't let me out, unless it's with Élan, Abby or you."

"That's not true and it's no reason to get drunk like you did. Or to do a make out session in front of everybody with a boy you say is your friend." I took a pause because I felt my blood starting to boil again, just with the mere thought of another guy kissing my imprint.

"Luke, I'm sorry." Sophie's tiny sobs made me forget why I was mad; instead I became infuriated with myself for making her cry.

"Don't cry," I said, bringing her closer to me so I could embrace her completely in my lap. Thankfully my hardness was already gone. When Sophie was little and began to cry, I would hold her like this until she calmed down.

"I just want a boyfriend and…"

"What?" I interrupted Sophie. I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

"I'm going to be sixteen and it's embarrassing that I don't have a boyfriend. Even Abby is dating a boy and she's younger than me," she whined.

"You're telling me that the real reason you went to that bonfire with that guy was to get his attention?" I asked, my voice showing that I was getting mad again.

"He's worth getting into trouble. I mean, he's obviously hot, but there's something else…"

She didn't say more as there was a persistent knocking on the front door. I got out of bed rapidly and went to answer the door, Sophie followed me close behind. I could hear her quiet sobs.

When I opened the door I was expecting maybe Mathias—he lived not far and sometimes came for breakfast—or Amelia. I wasn't definitely expecting Quil with a murderous stare.

"Where is she?" he asked through clenched teeth. He hadn't seen Sophie, who was still hiding behind me.

"Dad don't get mad please…" Sophie started but Quil didn't let her continue.

"Do you have any idea how worried your mother and I have been since Embry called this morning to let us know you weren't at his house?" Quil shouted. I noticed he was shaking, so I told him to get inside and relax unless he wanted to phase after many years without being a wolf.

Once in my small living room, Sophie curled on the sofa and started to cry harder. I knew she was scared of what Quil was going to say, or in the current case, shout. Also she must have still had a headache because of the hangover, so I took the opportunity that Quil was pacing around the living room, lost in thoughts, and went to the bathroom to get her some aspirin.

Even though I was really pissed off that Sophie had acted so careless for the mere fact that she wanted a boyfriend, I still didn't like when she was feeling so awful.

When I got back to the living room, Quil was asking questions to his daughter in a calmed state. His eyes met mine and I saw, momentarily, a flash of anger. I didn't push to find out why, just gave the pills to Sophie and went to the kitchen to start breakfast as I was famished. I hadn't eaten since the previous day after getting out of work, and it was only a miserable sandwich.

I couldn't help it but hear the conversation that reached my ears easily. Quil was very good at heart, but when it came to his children, he could lose control without difficulty, especially when hearing what his daughter was doing the previous night and it what condition I found her. I knew he only wanted the best for Sophie and Michal, and it was hurting him the way Sophie was acting.

I noticed that she had left out the fact that she was with a boy and making out with him. I wondered if she did it on purpose or because she didn't want Quil to know about Freddie.

"Soph, haven't your mother and I been sincere with you all your life? Why keep this from us and endanger your life? We understand that you're young and want to go out with your friends, trust me I was young too." Quil took a pause, probably remembering how his teenage years were, before continuing in a stronger tone. "You leave me no choice but to ground you. And it's not because you went to a party and got drunk, but because you didn't tell us. You need to understand that you can't have everything in life."

After Quil finished talking there was silence. I strained my hearing to see if they were actually silent or my hearing, for the first time in a long time, was failing.

"I'm sorry," Sophie said very softly. I heard shuffling and knew Quil was probably holding her.

Minutes later Quil came into the kitchen. He leaned against the counter and rubbed his eyes with his hands. I remembered how he looked when he was still a wolf—young, happy and full of energy. Now, age was finally catching up, making his forehead and eyes crinkle when frustrated. He usually still had the shine in the eyes of a happy, young man, but today was different. He looked tired and without the internal light that made him who he was.

"Thanks Luke, for taking care of her last night. Even though the right thing to do was call us and not play her little games." The last part Quil said with such force that it scared me. I sometimes forgot that he had the final say in Sophie's decisions and that if I got out of hand, he was going to take away some of the benefits I had with her.

"I'm sorry, but you very well know that it's hard to resist your imprint…"

"Don't use the excuse that my daughter is your imprint for all the mistakes you make," Quil yelled, interrupting me. "You're a great guy Luke, and you've never let these wolf things get in the way of what you want. The same you should apply when it comes to Sophie. You can't hold onto her so tightly because there's no certainty that she'll feel the way you want her to feel towards you."

"I know, I think about it all the time. So what are you implying that I should spend less time with her?" I asked. My heart was pounding hard because of the thought of not being with Sophie as I was since she was born.

"Yeah, it'll do you good. Learn how to live without her constantly by your side," Quil said as he started to help me with the breakfast.

Soon Sophie came back, showered and smelling wonderfully as always. She was wearing some clothes Quil had brought her and her hair was damped. Immediately I knew she was still feeling down.

She was the kind of girl who did things wrong but after a while realized that she had done wrong and feel bad about it. I felt like something else was bothering her, but put it aside as I knew Quil was right and I needed to put some space between us.

"Are you okay, kiddo?" Quil asked to Sophie. She was playing with her food, not really eating. I was looking at her trying to catch her eyes, but she wouldn't look up from her plate.

"I'm not feeling good. Can we go home dad?" she asked still not looking at me. There was something wrong, and I didn't like it.

"Is it still your head?" I asked, extending my hand so I could pat hers, which was next to her plate.

Sophie removed her hand quickly, leaving mine stretched awkwardly. Searing pain struck my heart as I felt the rejection.

Quil saw the interaction, gave me an apologetic shrug and addressed his daughter. "Soph, is there something bothering you?"

"No dad… look I'm not hungry." She stood up. "I'm going to wait for you downstairs, I need some fresh air." With that she left.

When I heard the front door close, I stood up as I felt the cords that united us give a tug. I knew she wasn't feeling well and I needed to find out why and make her feel better.

"Where are you going?" Quil asked me. I hadn't realized that I was on my way to the door; Quil was standing in front of me ready to stop me. "I'll talk to her and call you later. Remember it's better to put some space between you and her."

I became numb and desperate, once Quil left me alone with my thoughts.

_What is bothering Sophie? Was it something I said or did?_

I knew I couldn't stay in my apartment alone. I had the night shift at the hospital, so working wasn't an option to distract myself. The only alternative left was Ami. I knew she didn't have to work or do patrols, so I decided to pay her a visit.

After taking a quick shower, getting dressed in some shorts and a white shirt, I was on my way to my best friend's house. I decided to run there as a wolf, as I didn't feel like being trapped inside my car for the short trip.

Once there, I got dressed again and stepped onto Ami's backyard. I didn't bother knocking, as Ami was accustomed of any of the guys coming and going at all times.

Two fast heartbeats could be heard from the kitchen. Without thinking why they were beating so fast, I went there and immediately regretted it. Ami was sitting on the counter half naked, while Kaleb, naked as well, was between her legs.

"Oh my God! I'm sorry," I said, bolting around rapidly and walking to the living room. Even though I've seen them having sex in their heads, it wasn't the same seeing them in person.

I heard some giggling, huffing and shuffling before Ami appeared next to me. She had a goofy smile, but it disappeared right away when she looked at me. I didn't know how I was looking, but it must have been really bad for Ami to become really serious fast.

"Oh God, did Quil get really mad and banned you from seeing Sophie? Luke he called me this morning all agitated and I didn't want him to get more worried, so I told him that Sophie was with you," she said with a lot of concern.

"No, he's going to ground her, but wasn't that mad at me." I sat on the big sofa. Ami sat next to me and kept looking at me with worry in her eyes.

"Then what is it?"

"I don't know," I said, burying my face in my hands. I was feeling like any second my world was going to end. Ami didn't say anything, still waiting for an explanation, so I continued. "I don't know what happened. Sophie is mad at me, she couldn't even look at me and I don't know why."

I felt so helpless and miserable. I told Ami how I was feeling and what Quil told me to do, and like the great friend that she was, she listened and let me get everything out. After my ranting, I felt a little better, but still had that tugging in my stomach that told me that something was wrong with Sophie.

"Quil is right, you need to experiment life without her. We're not telling you not to see her ever, but make a life of your own. I know it's not going to be easy, but it's going to help you greatly." Ami always made me feel better, even if her words where the same Quil had told me.

I wanted to continue talking to Ami, but Kaleb came into the living room, looking all bothered and broke the atmosphere. When he saw my strained face, his features softened and sat next to Ami, wrapping and arm around her waist.

"Where are the kids?" I asked as I noticed that there was silence around the house.

"Addison and Daniel are still at mom and dad's house, and Eli left with Mathias to buy some medication. We spent almost all night at the hospital but he's feeling better," Kaleb answered me. I heard some discomfort in his voice. Even though he showed no disapproval towards Mathias imprinting on his kid, sometimes he showed how protective he was of his loved ones.

"Oh, right. I forgot that Eli was sick. So, the two of you decided to go at it in the kitchen knowing that the house was children's free." I stated with an impish smile.

Ami only slapped me on the shoulder; I could see her cheeks blushing slowly. Kaleb on the other hand growled at me.

"Yeah, we have little time to ourselves these days and you had to barge in here without knocking and interrupt us," he said, trying to sound mad, but I could see he was joking. Over the years we've become friends. There were still moments that things between us got tense, but they usually didn't last.

The rest of the day I distracted myself by helping Ami around the house. Around midday Mathias appeared with a beaming Eli, followed closely by Paul and Rachel who had brought Addison and Daniel.

I've always loved spending time with Ami and her family. The triplets were unique and always had things to show me or tell me. To them I was their favorite Uncle. Only I didn't let them call me Uncle Luke in public as it made me look older than what I appeared.

The first day without Sophie went by and even though by the end of it I felt miserable, I understood what Ami and Quil meant. I needed to build a life of my own in case Sophie never responded the way I wanted her to.


	18. Unrequited Love

**A/N:** _So here it is, finally the chapter that will tell you what is wrong with Sophie. Some of you guessed it, some of you didn't, but at least tried. _

_Now, I know it might be confusing seeing so many new characters and wonder who are they. Well I'm putting a small list of the new generation and who is their parents. _

_**Amelia and Kaleb:** Daniel, Eli and Addison (Triplets)_

_**Embry and Catlyn:** Elan, Krystopher and Leanne_

_**Thomas and Andy: **Carrie (adopted)_

_**Leah and William:** Abigail_

_**There are more but those are the ones necesary at the moment. If you have more doubts go to my webs page (link on my profile). _

_Lastly, reviews are important for an author, so please let me know what you think. _

~*~*~*~*~

**Chapter 16: Unrequited Love**

**Sophie's POV**

It's been two days since I spent the night over at Luke's and things had changed so much. First Luke hadn't visited or called me since then, not that I wanted him to. Secondly, I was grounded until the end of summer. I had to work in dad's car shop all week and my only contact with the outside world was when Élan and Abigail came over.

I couldn't believe all my life consisted of a lie. I couldn't accept the fact that I was kept in the dark of something so important. I always knew what imprinting was, how I could not know seeing it every day through my parents or hearing about it in secretive conversations around the members of the wolf pack.

I never suspected that Luke had imprinted on me. It was always weird that he cared so much about me, or that he needed to constantly be around me, but he never looked at me with so much love and passion as Dad looks at Mom. Maybe he regretted imprinting and the only reason he put up with me was because he was bound by an unknown force.

It pained me that I had to find out such an important part of my life through a conversation I wasn't suppose to hear. It hurts me that Luke didn't want me to know about his bond to me. Once I heard he had imprinted on me, I couldn't hear no more. My mind went into overdrive and the only thought I could process was that Luke had lied to me all these years.

Once he stopped paying me visits or calling to check if I was okay, I knew he definitely regretted imprinting on me. He was a grown man and probably wanted to have women, but his attachment to me prevented him of that.

Even though I was hurt and mad that he kept something from me, I still loved him with every fiber of my being. All I wanted to do was curl into a ball and cry until I couldn't do it no more. But I didn't want anyone to notice that there was something wrong with me, because it would bring too many unwanted questions. Or I didn't want to face an excruciating reality, because I knew that Luke could never see me as I wanted him to see me, no matter the imprint bond. So every day, after I found out, I put on my happy face and pretended that the only thing bothering me was being grounded.

Of course Dad and Mom noticed my drawn behavior and asked me what was wrong, but I never let out what was really bothering me, so eventually they let it go. Every once in a while I would catch them staring at me, but they never spoke out loud the questions they wanted to ask.

"Hey, Sophie where are you?" Élan's deep voice brought me out of my thoughts. He was snapping his fingers trying to get my attention. He knew that I could get lost in thought at any moment.

"What?" I asked stupidly, shaking my head so I would get out of my stupor. I looked up from the papers I was supposed to be sorting and saw Élan standing on the doorway. It was a Monday and I was in my Dad's auto shop doing my job in filing all the paperwork.

"Come on spill it, what has been bothering you lately?" he asked me for the hundredth time. Ever since I spent that night at Luke's and he saw my attitude the next day, he had been bombarding me with the same question.

He took the chair in front of the desk I was sitting in, and looked at me intently, waiting for my answer.

"E, I don't know what you're talking about. There's nothing bothering me." I tried to look him directly in the eyes, so he wouldn't see the lie, but I was never good at lying.

"Look, I'm your best friend since forever and while you might be able to lie to your parents and everyone else, I'm capable of seeing right through your façade and it hurts that you're lying to me."

He was right and I didn't like to keep things from him either, but I didn't want to make the issue a big problem. I didn't want to act as a victim and confess how broken I was feeling. I didn't want anyone to realize how much Luke's actions could affect my life.

But I had to admit that I needed to tell someone what was bothering me. I felt a great weight on my shoulders, crushing me with all the words I wanted to speak out loud. I knew I could trust Élan with my own life, so I decided to tell him.

"Can you come over by the house later?" I asked.

"Yeah… no, wait I have to babysit Leanne tonight. Mom and Dad are going to be at one of Krys' soccer games and they didn't want to take her because last time she got sick," he answered me with a whiny voice. He always told me that he liked being an older brother when it came to Leanne, but in occasions like babysitting, he didn't like it at all. "How about if you ask Quil to let you come to my house?"

"No way is he going to lift my punishment." We stayed quiet for a few moments. While I sorted a few papers, Élan sat comfortably with his feet propped on the desk, cleaning his greasy hands.

"Then I'll call you."

"It's something that can't be talked over the phone," I explained.

"How about if I sneak into your room after Mom and Dad come home and fall asleep?" My head snapped up as I heard what he had suggested. Élan didn't like to break the rules; he was usually the one who prevented me from getting in trouble.

"There's no reason to go to extremes, we can talk tomorrow or another day."

"No," he said urgently. "I also need to tell you something important and I don't want to keep it to myself any longer."

It scared me that Élan was keeping something from me and the way he seemed eager to tell me this secret was more unnerving.

"Okay, but call me before arriving at my house, just in case someone is still up."

The rest of the day went in a blur as I couldn't stop wondering what Élan wanted to tell me that couldn't wait. Also I was scared of finally telling someone about my feelings toward Luke and my recent findings.

It was after midnight when there was a low tap on my window. I got out of bed, and without turning on the light, went to open the window. Élan climbed inside and after looking at me nervously, sat on the edge of my bed.

I sat on the middle of my bed, facing him. "So, who should start?" I asked.

"Umm… how about if you do," he said. I stayed silent, not knowing where to begin. "Sophie, did Luke do something to you?" Élan must have interpreted my nervousness with Luke doing something bad to me.

"No," I answered quickly. "Luke could never hurt me…" _Well at least not on purpose. _I finished the sentence in my head.

"Then what happened?"

I didn't know where to begin, so I took my time. "Élan… I'm Luke's imprint," I whispered. I didn't look at his eyes, afraid of seeing my own shock reflected in them.

"How? When did…?" He couldn't form a coherent question. Élan released an air of frustration and after ruffling his already messy hair, spoke again. "I don't understand."

"He imprinted on me when I was a baby." I saw that he looked at me with anger, so I continued quickly, not letting him build false conclusions. "I just found out recently, that day I stayed at his apartment. He was talking to Dad while they thought I was in the bathroom, but I heard clearly when he said it."

"So your Dad is on the secret?"

I just nodded. I felt stupid for being ignorant of something so important for so long. How could those who I love so much keep me in the dark?

"You know since a few months ago, I've been seeing Luke in a different way. Before he was just my best friend, but recently I only see him as a man. I thought there was something seriously wrong with me, but now I know it's this imprint shit…"

"Soph, imprinting isn't bad, look at your parents and mine. They're meant for each other," Élan said.

"Yeah, I know, but my case is different. Don't you see, he will never want or see me as a lover. I'm his baby cousin. Why would he lay eyes on someone as me? He will want a real woman and I'm not." Without realizing I let out all that had been bothering. Élan, like the good friend that he was, only listened without interruptions.

I told him how I felt when I was around Luke. Also about my fears that he regretted imprinting on me, this explained his recent absence from my life.

When I finally finished my ranting, Élan just stared at me, deep in thoughts. During our talk, I had lain on my back—across my bed—while he stayed on the same corner, with his legs wrapped Indian style. After a few moments he spoke. "Wow, I never saw imprinting from that perspective. But Sophie you can't assume things. You need to talk to him, make him explain and admit that he has imprinted on you."

"I'm scared that he's going to reject me for real. I don't want to be exposed and crushed," I mumbled.

"So you rather stay with the doubt?" he asked.

That question I couldn't ask at the moment. My mind needed to process all the information I had acquired. Élan understood my silence and didn't press for an answer; he knew that when I was ready to make a decision he was going to be the first to know.

I felt the atmosphere get dense and uncomfortable. I looked at Élan and he was looking at me with fear in his eyes. Like he wanted to say something but was afraid. I remembered that he also wanted to tell me something.

"E, is there something you want to tell me?" I asked, while supporting my upper body with my elbow so I could see him better.

"This morning I was so sure that I was ready to tell you this, but now I'm doubting myself," he whispered.

"I just spilled all my secrets to you; I think you can trust me with yours."

I waited patiently as he did with me.

"Please you have to promise me that after what I'm about to tell you, things between us aren't going to change."

"Okay," I said a little scared because of his seriousness.

He took a deep breath and continued, "I seriously wasn't expecting what you just told me, so things are probably going to turn out different from what I imagined. It's just that it never passed through my mind that you like Luke more that a friend and…"

"You're babbling." I interrupted him. Élan always talked a lot when he was nervous and needed to be reminded constantly that he was straying from the conversation.

"Sorry. Umm… Sophie, you've been my best friend since we were in diapers and I wouldn't change that for anything. You very well know that sometimes we can't control where our feelings take us."

My heart sped up as I realized what he was trying to tell me. I wasn't ready to hear his declaration of love. I didn't want to lose his friendship or the way I could act around him freely, without fears.

"So what I really wanted to tell you is that I…"

"Élan stop, please," I begged. An uncomfortable silence settled between us. I didn't want to look in his eyes and see the hurt I knew he was feeling.

"I'm sorry… it's getting late, I better leave." He stood up and very fast was at the window. He hesitated a little, like waiting for me to stop him, but I was in a state of shock so I didn't react.

When I finally understood what just had happened, it was too late and Élan was gone. I tried to call him on his cell phone, but it went directly to voice mail.

The rest of the night was horrible. Sleep didn't come as my mind was too full of unwanted thoughts. Finally tiredness overtook me around four in the morning, but when I woke up it was as if I hadn't slept at all. My mind didn't rest because of the nightmares that hunted me all night.

I could still see Luke's figure leaving me without an explanation, or Élan's hurt expression. My dreams were obviously telling me that I kept hurting people I loved.

Was this my fate? To be alone in life, desiring someone who will never respond my feelings? Hurting the one who was willing to love me?

I couldn't be disappointed or hurt someone if I pushed everyone away. I didn't want to face the truth, nor risk getting hurt by finding out if Luke could ever feel anything for me. I didn't want to hear Élan's declarations of love. The only solution was to give my back to all of them and protect my heart and sanity. I wanted to live for myself. Love who I wanted to love, without strings attached, and without the fear of hurting my already broken heart.

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****Please Review...**


	19. Falling Together

**A/N:** _Okay, sorry it took so long, but damn those writer's block. The last chapter I left it with Sophie being confused on what to do with her life, now this chapter is Luke showing how he's going through life without his imprint. I wasn't going to necessarily take the story into this path, at least not yet, but what I wanted to do didn't want to come out and I took it as a sign that it wasn't meant._

_I want to thank all of you who read the story and review... but especially **I_Am_Kate** and **liljenrocks** for giving me some ideas that helped me get out of my block. Hopefully you'll like this chapter and won;t be disappointed. _

**_Remember to Review..._**

**Chapter 17: Falling Together**

**Luke's POV**

I didn't know how I got out of bed every morning, all I knew was that I went through all my daily activities without emotions or realizing what was happening around me. That was the effect of being away from your imprint for a long time. Life didn't have a meaning anymore and to top it all, the physical pain was the only reminder that I was still alive.

My body ached constantly, especially my heart. I couldn't breathe properly and I felt like there was this huge balloon inside of me that was dreading to burst and throw me into an abyss.

But I pushed myself hard and got up every day, worked at the hospital and did my patrols with the pack, even though all I wanted to do was crawl into my bed and never wake up again.

Today was one of those days. The alarm clock was blaring, telling me it was time to get up and get ready for work, but I wasn't paying attention to it. What was the point in getting up if life didn't hold importance to me no more?

Soon I turned the alarm off and buried myself, again, deep in my bed. I stayed there all day long. Once in a while I would perceive my surroundings by hearing the phone ring, or the cars pass by on the street nearby, but nothing could bring me out of my state.

The reason why I was feeling so down and miserable was because a dream I had—more like a nightmare. I was at the beach with Sophie, like any other day we went together and enjoyed those rarely sunny days. Everything was going okay when out of the sudden Sophie stood up and told me she didn't want me in her life no more.

The whole dream seemed silly, but the feeling it left in me felt real. I woke up feeling more miserable than before because even though she hadn't told me those exact words, I knew she didn't want to be in my life anymore. The fact that she hadn't called me or tried to contact me in any way, was all I needed to realize that she had moved on.

The day I told Quil I was going to give her some space, I didn't imagine that our connection was going to be severed so badly. I was expecting for us to talk or see each other casually.

_Could she have heard me talking to Quil? _I thought to myself. _Maybe she…_

With a deep gasp I sat on my bed abruptly. _Does Sophie know about me imprinting on her?_

The question swam in my head over and over again, making my body ache more. If she knew that I had imprinted on her, then she truly didn't want me. She was probably disgusted and didn't want to ever see me again.

I tried to push the thoughts away, as I wasn't sure if that was the case. I didn't want to jump into conclusions that could make my situation worse.

As I sat in bed there was a knock at the front door. Somewhere in my mind I knew that I needed to get up and see who it was, but my body didn't want to respond. I knew it wasn't Sophie, as I didn't feel any pull. So what was the reason for me to move and check who it was. Minutes later I heard the front door open, but once again I didn't move.

"Luke, are you okay?" Finally my head moved following the voice that I recognized as Amelia's. She was standing on my doorway wearing a worried expression. She probably let herself in with the spare key on top of the doorframe.

"What are you doing here?" I asked with a raspy voice, finally able to come out of my shocked state.

"I've been calling all day, but you're not answering your cell phone or house phone. I called this morning to the hospital and a nurse told me you didn't go to work or called to excuse yourself." Amelia was ranting nonstop. I understood that she must have been very worried. "What's happening to you?"

"I miss her," I mumbled. Those words were the only explanation Ami needed to understand what I was going through.

Of course she understood perfectly the pain you felt when you were away from your imprint; she experienced it first hand when Kaleb left for a few months. I had only been away from Sophie for a month and was extremely regretting it. I didn't know how Ami and Kaleb had survived so long apart.

"Oh, Luke." Ami sat next to me on the bed, patting my head in a sisterly way. The tears that had been dreading to spill for a long time, finally poured out of my eyes. I wasn't able to stop them, even if I wanted.

"It hurts so much… I want her with me here," I sobbed in Ami's shoulder. She just kept holding me, giving me her support without saying a word. "And is it wrong of me to…" I stopped as I was about to confess that I wanted Sophie more than the friend she was.

"Luke, were you about to tell me that you want her as a woman?" she asked me, twisting her body so she could look directly into my eyes.

I knew that it was impossible to hide things from Ami as she knew me like the palm of her hand, or one of the guys, I've done patrols with, would tell her where my thoughts usually end up. I was scared how she was going to react, but I needed to tell someone how I was truly feeling.

"Yes, I've been wanting her for a while. It's one of the reasons why I decided to put some distance between us. I know it's wrong of me to want her like that and very confusing. I'm supposed to be what she wants me to be, so I don't know what is happening to me," I whispered as if someone, apart from Ami, would hear me.

"You know, I bet that if you talk to her and explain that you imprinted on her, she's going to understand and realize she has feelings for you." Ami's words sprung some hope inside of me, but I pushed it down because I didn't want to end up hurt at the end.

"I don't think things are going to be like that," I said drying my face. "I think she already knows about me imprinting on her."

Ami looked at me as if she was waiting for an explanation. Now it was the time for me to confess my recent suspicion and I was afraid that I was going to sound stupid.

"I think Sophie overheard the conversation I had with Quil about the imprint." I paused, studying Ami's face. She was deep in thought, like looking at the clues to see if what I was saying could be possible. "And if she does know that I imprinted on her, she's avoiding me because she's either disgusted or doesn't want to hurt me more by rejecting me."

"Luke, she can't possibly feel like that. I know Sophie and she's a kind girl who adores you. If she does know, she must be confused. More the reason to go and talk to her." Ami stood from the bed, walked across my room, and with a swift movement opened my curtains.

I closed my eyes abruptly as they were accustomed to the dark. Once I opened them again, I noticed the sun deep in the horizon.

_What time is it? _I thought to myself.

I looked at the clock perched on the night table and saw that is was almost 7:00pm. My stomach growled by the thought that I hadn't eaten since the previous day.

"Come on, get out of bed, take a shower, and I'll order take out in the meantime," Ami said before leaving me alone once again in my room.

I did as I she told me and while I took a long shower, I thought of what to do next. I knew that Amelia was right, as long as I didn't go to see Sophie and explained everything, I wasn't going to know what was really happening or was going to happen.

I dressed slowly, my mind still too distracted with thoughts of Sophie telling me she was disgusted by my mere presence.

The knock on the front door brought me back to reality. I knew it was the delivery guy bringing our food, so I finished dressing and rushed to join Ami on the living room.

She was sitting on the floor, in front of my coffee table, with three large, pizza boxes on top. My stomach growled again as the delicious smelled invaded the apartment. I sat next to her and we both immediately reached for the pizza. It was a comfortable moment, just me and my best friend eating pizza while watching some lame, romantic movie on TV.

"Oh, I almost forgot to tell you the actual reason why I was calling you all day. Tomorrow I'm making dinner and I want you to be there," Ami mumbled through a mouthful of pizza.

"What's the special occasion?"

Ami looked at me like I was crazy or acting stupid, but I wasn't. "Luke what day is tomorrow?" she asked me. I tilted my head and tried to remember what day of the month I was in. I had been so immersed in my pain and suffering that the days had gone by without my knowledge. Finally I gave up and shrugged. "I can't believe you don't remember that tomorrow is the 10th of July—mine and Kaleb's anniversary."

"Oh!" I couldn't believe I had forgotten such an important day for Ami. I rubbed my forehead and faced my best friend—sister—with and apologetic expression. "I'm sorry. I've been so out of it all this time. But I promise I'll be there tomorrow as soon as I get out of work, that is if I don't have to do some extra hours."

"It's okay, I understand. And yeah I'm going to need the extra help as all the guys from the pack are going to be there. Even Dad is coming, and Embry, Thomas and Cody are also attending. So it's going to be an anniversary/pack reunion dinner." I couldn't help but smile at Ami's excitement.

She still looked as young as when we phased for the first time, but I could see in her eyes the maternal vibe she gained through the years of being an alpha and mother of three. The pack was still strong and very united, but it had suffered some changes—changes that affected Ami, as the pack was an engrained part of her heart. For example Thomas wasn't phasing anymore. He had stopped five years ago as he and Andy were showing a lot of age difference.

Another change was Cody moving to Seattle, first to study finances at UW (University of Washington), but then he found a job as an accountant and decided to form a life there permanently. He came once in a while to visit his family and pack friends, and continued to phase gradually, but everyone missed his outgoing personality, especially Ami.

And the last change had been Seth. He had sold his house in La Push and moved to the Cullens old manor in Forks. He gave as an excuse that people around the Rez were starting to notice his not aging and that Emma wanted more hunting range, but we all knew he still didn't accept completely Ami and Kaleb's marriage. The reason why he didn't leave the state completely was because he still wanted to be in his grandkids' lives. He still was an active member of the pack—Ami's second to be exact— and did patrols as all of us.

When we ate the three large pizzas—Ami complaining that I ate more slices—I told her that I was planning on visiting Sophie so I could explain everything. If she still didn't know about the imprinting, I was going to tell her as I didn't want any more secrets.

So when Ami finally left, I checked my reflection one more time in my mirror, and left my apartment as well. It was already night, I was once again shocked that I had lost a whole day. I decided to take my car, as I didn't want to phase and share my messed up thoughts with someone else. On my way, I called the hospital and gave a lame excuse when they asked me why I hadn't been to work or called. I told them that I had a personal problem to solve, which was true but not an acceptable excuse.

Once in front of the Ateara's house, the nerves showed up again. I gripped the steering wheel hard and started to take deep breaths so I wouldn't turn the car around and get back to my apartment. Or phase inside my car as I felt I was in the verge of losing control.

_Come on Luke, don't be such a coward, _I thought to myself.

Taking a few more deep breaths, I got out of the car. I had parked a little ahead as I didn't want the Atearas to know I was there. Closing my eyes, I let all my instincts and senses take over and guide me. I immediately recognized Sophie's heartbeat coming from her room in the back. I knew that Quil, Claire and Michal were also in the house, but I didn't want to see them and explain what I wanted to do.

I sprinted lightly and conspicuously to the back of the house until I had her window on sight. I thought of what to do next and as much as I wanted to see her and talk to her, I didn't want to go in there while everyone else was still awake. So I decided to get comfortable in one of the trees and wait for everyone to go to sleep.

The curtains from her room were drawn, so I couldn't see what she was doing. I imagined her lying in bed reading a book, or with her computer in front of her while she checked the latest celebrity gossip. Sophie was an unique girl—while she was the typical girl and liked to gossip with the few girlfriends she had, she also was very intellectual and sometimes you found her by herself just enjoying a good book.

I continued to entertain myself by building, in my mind, scenarios of how she was going to react when I went into her room. They either ended with Sophie throwing things at me and telling me she didn't want to see me again or she would throw her arms around me and tell me she felt the same way I felt. The latter one I didn't think about a lot, as I didn't want to get my hopes up.

Finally, a little after eleven, I dropped from the tree I was sitting in as I knew everyone but Sophie, was sleeping. Slowly I made my way to her window, the lights were still on and I could hear her talking, probably on her cell phone.

Without thinking if I should have knocked first, I eased myself up on the windowsill and immediately regretted it. Sophie saw me and froze—eyes big as a deer caught on headlights. Whoever she was on the cell with must have been wondering why she wasn't talking.

"Hey," I said awkwardly, pushing the curtains more aside and sitting on the sill. My voice seemed to snap her out of her daze and she started to blink rapidly and breathe fast.

"Umm… I have to go," she said to the person on the cell phone. "Yeah… okay. Bye, I love you too."

_I love you too? Who was she saying that to? _My blood boiled as I thought of my Sophie saying those words to a guy that wasn't me. I was breathing laboriously through my nose, my hands clenching and unclenching on my sides. I couldn't lose control, not in front of Sophie; I didn't want to scare her.

"Luke?" Her sweet voice calmed me a little, but I was still on the verge of losing it. "Are you okay?" She stood from her bed and started to get closer.

"Stop... don't get any closer," I said through gritted teeth. My body was angling to the outside of the house, just in case I felt I was going to snap and bolt out the window just in time. Sophie didn't move, she just kept staring at me as if I was going to disappear at any minute.

After a moment, I started to relax and my body stopped shaking. "I'm sorry."

"Were you about to lose control?" Sophie asked with a timid tone. She was still rooted to the spot. When she was little, I taught her that when any of the members of the wolf pack got angry and started shaking, she had to get away, or not make any sudden movements.

"Yeah." We fell into an awkward silence. There were so many things I wanted to say to her, but I didn't know where to start.

I was thankful when Sophie broke the ice. "Umm… not to be rude, but what are you doing here?"

"I wanted to talk to you."

"About what?"

The time had come for me to tell her everything, but my voice didn't want to come out. Multiple times I opened my mouth, but closed it again quickly. Sophie was looking at me like I was crazy, but deep in her eyes she was also hesitant on what I had to say.

"Sophie why don't you sit down, please," I said at last.

"Whatever you want to tell me I can hear it standing up." Even though she was whispering, I could detect some bitterness in her voice. I guessed she was remembering why she was mad at me.

"Okay." I paused to take a necessary breath. "Sophie I… umm. God I don't know how to say this," I muttered more to myself.

"Why don't you just say it quickly, like ripping a Band-Aid? Besides I think I know what you're trying to tell me." She lowered her eyes so I couldn't look directly at them.

_Here it goes, _I thought before speaking out loud and pouring out all I felt. "I imprinted on you."

It came out so fast that for a split second I thought I hadn't spoken at all. But Sophie's face told me I had said those words out loud.

Before she could say anything, I continued. "You must think that I'm the most horrible man for not telling you sooner, or that I'm a sick person for imprinting on you, but let me explain myself first. I imprinted on you when you were just a day old, and since that time, my life has revolve around you. Everything you wanted me to be, I was and I never complained as it made me happy—I was the happiest man alive, at least I felt that way.

"Then you grew up and became a little woman. I knew I needed to be sincere with you and tell you about the imprint bond between us, but I just wanted to always give you the choice without pressure.

"You very well know that your actions affect me deeply and that mine also affect you, even if you don't realize it. I didn't want your life to be driven by this imprint or by what you expect me to want, which is why I kept it all secret." I finished out of breath. As I talked, I had lowered my face, preferring not to see her reaction. Now I was afraid of looking at her and see what she was feeling.

"Luke… I knew you had imprinted on me." My head snapped up as I realized my suspicions were real. My heart broke as I comprehended that she was avoiding me probably because she didn't want anything to do with me.

"I understand you don't want me in your life. I'll leave now," I said with a dead voice. I turned around when I heard her take a step.

"Wait, what are you talking about?" I stopped almost on the window, but didn't turn around. Sophie huffed with frustration before speaking again. "Luke, how do feel towards me?"

I wasn't expecting her to ask me that, but once I thought of not answering her, pain flashed through my chest. I didn't like it when this bond didn't let me lie or keep something from my imprint.

"Answer me," she persisted as I still was giving my back to her.

Without turning I answered her question truthfully. "I love you."

"I know _that_, you've loved me since I can remember," she whispered.

"No, you don't understand. I'm 'in love' with you," I confessed. Finally letting those important words out, made me realize that I did the right thing. I needed to tell her how I truly felt, so she could see and understand the reasons behind the actions.

"I'm 'in love' with you too," Sophie whispered so lowly that if it wasn't for my heightened hearing, I wouldn't have heard her.

My whole body whipped around in one swift motion. I couldn't completely grasp what she had just said. It was like I had magically transported to one of my imagined scenarios. I shook my head a few times. "What did you just say?"

"Luke, I'm in love with you," she repeated with a mischievous smile playing on her lips. "The reason why I've been avoiding you is because I overheard you talking to Dad and I instantly thought you were complaining about being bound to me."

"I would never feel like that, you're my everything," I stated. I took a few steps to get closer to Sophie. The pull was getting stronger and I didn't want to fight it no more. I stood in front of her and placed a shaking hand on her cheek. She leaned into my touch, closing her eyes and enjoying the tingling she must have been feeling, as I felt it.

I bent over slowly, until my face was only inches from hers. My breathing was getting laboriously and my heart was beating erratically. The moment I've been waiting for had finally come and the only thought that passed through my mind was 'don't screw this up'.

Once my lips were almost on hers, I stopped as I wanted to give Sophie the choice of kissing me. Without hesitation, she crashed her lips on mine, making me gasped with surprise. What I felt couldn't really be explained in words. It was as if I've never kissed someone before and this was my first time. Everything felt new but perfect at the same time, our lips fit ideally and I never wanted to let go. Her lips were soft, but urgent and the same time. Without thinking, I opened her mouth with my lips and tasted her with my tongue for the first time.

It was amazing. She tasted so sweet but in a good way.

But too soon my body was crying for the need of air, so with a lot of effort I released her lips. I rested my forehead against hers, I was still breathing fast and so was Sophie. I opened my eyes when I heard a little giggle coming from her.

"What's so funny?" I asked, unable to stop smiling as I could feel how happy my imprint was.

"I'm just so… blissful? No, more than that… I can't find the right word to describe how I'm feeling right now. You have no idea how long I've waited for this," she whispered, leaning more into my body. She buried her face on my chest and sighed with contentment.

Wrapping my arms around her tiny frame, I finally felt at home—where I belonged. I started moving Sophie to the bed as I knew it was already late and she needed to rest. I went against my desire, as all I wanted was to stay awake with her talking and being together.

"Don't leave," she whined as soon as I laid her on the bed.

"I'm not going anywhere until Quil and Claire wake up. I don't want you to get in trouble."

"Okay," she said through a yawn. She pulled me to her side, and even though the bed was small and we were uncomfortable, I'd never felt more at eased.

Sighing with happiness, I wrapped my arms around Sophie and she immediately buried herself deeper into my warmth. I couldn't stop smiling and once in a while I leaned to her head and inhaled her perfect scent—roses with a small amount of cinnamon.

I wanted to ask her something, but didn't want to ruin the moment. My curiosity won; I moved a little so I could see her face. She still wasn't asleep, probably not wanting to end the moment.

"Soph?"

"Hmm?" she responded.

"Who were you talking to when I arrived?" She tensed on my side and I regretted asking the stupid question. Who cared who she was talking to, I had her on my side and that was all it mattered. "Forget about it, it doesn't matter."

"No it does matter, and I know why you want to know." She paused, looking up so she could see my expression. It must have been good as she relaxed instantly. "I know you heard me say 'I love you' and it's the reason why you almost phased. But you don't have to worry as I was only talking to Élan. It was just a friendly term, well at least from my side." The last part she mumbled it, as if she didn't mean to say it out loud.

"What do you mean?" I asked, my curiosity once again taking over.

"Élan confessed he likes me more than a friend." She went on with an explanation of how she felt since he told her that. It was as if she had craved for a long time to talk to someone and now that I was back, she was letting everything out. I didn't mind hearing about her thoughts and feelings, but I didn't like it when she told me she felt confused about either responding the feelings to Élan, or risk it and continue to be just his friend.

I was glad she chose the latter, but still was unnerved when she admitted that it crossed her mind to leave everything behind and go running after Freddie. I knew she didn't really like him—he was just the guy who every girl in high school desired because he was a bad boy—and the thought of being with him only passed her mind when she wanted to pent out her frustration with something out of her comfort zone.

It was around three in the morning when she finally fell asleep. I also fell asleep, but not completely as I wanted to hear Quil or Claire wake up and have a chance to sneak away. I knew they would accept me in Sophie's life, they already did, but I didn't want to have them watching over my shoulder to see everything I made.

I was going to tell them eventually, but in the meantime I just wanted to enjoy my time alone with Sophie, with no other adult's supervision. Yeah I knew my mind was pretty perverted, but I couldn't help it, I just wanted Sophie all to myself.

Around seven, I heard Claire wake up, so without moving Sophie too much, I got out of her bed and out of the room.

On my way home I had to pinch myself a lot of times to make sure I wasn't dreaming. The pain had left my body and once again I felt light as the seventeen year old boy I was when I phased for the first time. Nothing could go wrong as long as I had her in my life, at least that what I thought. How wrong I was….

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	20. What She Wants

**A/N:** _Sorry once again for taking so long in writing this chapter. The were some factors for my tardiness. Personal, my aunt is visiting and I'm barely home or I can't sit on the computer for long periods of time. Also I've brought back some of the characters I haven't used in a while and I needed to go back to HT to see what year it was and how old they were suppose to be. Its not easy to place the characters depending on how old they're suppose to be..._

_Also I had almost half of the chapter when I didn't like how things were going so i decided to start form scratch. _

_Now, Enjoy the chapter and please review as I don't know if you're liking how things are going or what you're thinking. The reviews are the author's pay and they mean a lot. **So please Review!**_

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**Chapter 18: What She Wants**

**Luke's POV**

I was getting ready for the anniversary dinner-party at Ami's house. It was important to look good, not only because it was a special occasion, but also because my Sophie was going to be there. I still couldn't believe I had told her all the truth and confessed my love, and that she had responded the same way. I still felt like at any minute I was going to wake up and realize it had all been a bad dream. Especially knowing that Sophie was still family and that she might realize at any moment that our relationship was a messed up one.

The funny thing was that I couldn't see her anymore as my cousin's daughter. When she was still a little girl, I always saw her as family—my little sister—but now I couldn't see her like that. It was true what everyone told me, you'll be what your imprint wants you to be.

As I picked up my clothes, I realized I was tired. I had worked all day in the ER, as I was banned from the Operating Room as punishment for not going to work or calling earlier to give my excuse. I knew it was kind of childish, but at least I wasn't fired.

Once completely dressed—a black t-shirt that accentuated my muscles, and faded jeans—I was on my way to Ami's house. It was raining hard, but the weather couldn't dampen by happy mood. I drove through the mist as if it was one of those rare, but beautiful, sunny days.

When I got to Ami's house, Thomas and Mathias' cars were already there. Mathias was always there, so there was no surprise, and Thomas was the responsible one—always the first in meetings.

I got out of the car with a bounce on my step and knew I must have looked stupid, but it didn't matter because soon I was going to see my Sophie.

In the front porch I found the triplets—Daniel, Eli and Addison—and Carrie, Thomas adoptive daughter. He and Andy had decided to adopt when the doctors told her that it was impossible for her to get pregnant. They tried for a long time and just three years ago decided to adopt. Carrie was only nine back then and it was hard for her to get accustomed to her new life as she had been from foster home to foster home, but she won everyone's heart and immediately fit in.

"Hey, Uncle Luke," the triplets said at the same time. I was already accustomed to their freaky synchronization in speaking, but it was still weird to hear.

Carrie probably felt the same way as she was trying to stifle a laugh as she said, "Hello."

"And how are my favorite nephews and niece?" I asked after hugging the four of them. Even though Ami wasn't biologically my sister, the triples always saw me as their uncle—the same as the rest of the guys from the pack.

After they told me what they'd been up to and how school was going, I excused myself and went inside. I found Ami and Andy in the kitchen preparing dinner, while I saw Kaleb, Thomas and Mathias on the backyard putting tables and chairs. As soon as I stepped inside, Ami went quiet and stared at me as if I was a stranger.

"What?" I asked after a few moments as she still hadn't talked or moved.

"You're happy and glowing," she responded, and after a while asked, "Does this mean that things went well with Sophie?"

"Umm…yeah." I couldn't hide my smile, even though I wanted to. I didn't want her to ask for details as I wasn't sure if I wanted anyone to know what had happened. I stared at Amelia, telling her that I didn't want to talk about it at the moment. She understood immediately and changed the subject, telling me what needed to be done.

Soon people started to arrive and head to the backyard as there wasn't enough space inside. It had been a while since we had gotten together and everyone was excited and talking animatedly. It was amazing how much our family had grown and how together we still were, even though everyone was forming their lives on their own.

Cody had made it. He didn't come alone, instead with his current girlfriend—not imprint—who was a Chinese exchange student. He seemed very happy and we were glad he was experimenting another way of life.

I noticed that Matty was eyeing Cody's girlfriend a lot. He was probably interested in the fresh meat. He still hadn't imprinted, the same as Jayson, but unlike Jayson, he couldn't be alone more than a few months. At the beginning we were worried that he would waste his life away with different girls all the time, but after a while we noticed that it was his way of channeling his sadness of not having anyone special as an imprint.

Seth arrived alone, as Emma was in another trip with the Cullens. He gave everyone the news that he had talked to Jacob and they were planning on moving back to the area. It still wasn't sure, but if they did, Jacob, Nessie and Taylor were going to be staying with Seth on Forks.

I was getting anxious as the person I needed to see hadn't arrived. Ami had told me that Quil was coming a little late and she laughed when I pouted slightly. In part I was relieved, I didn't want to have to give explanations so soon if Quil noticed my intentions with his daughter. He still didn't know that we had talked and solved things.

There were two long tables in the middle of the backyard with a ton of food. Everyone started to sit when I felt a pull coming from within my stomach, directed at the front of the house. Soon Sophie came bounding down the small steps that led to where we were.

I stupid smile spread on my face and I saw that Sophie was smiling too—her eyes twinkling in the rays of the setting sun. Every time I saw her, it was as if I've been suffocating and was finally able to take as much air as I could. She was very beautiful and had all the qualities I looked for in a female. It was as if she was made exclusively for me.

I shook my head to get out of my state and noticed that everyone was very silent. Sophie also noticed the still atmosphere, and after greeting everyone and hugging Amelia, she walked fast to the table and sat on the empty chair next to me.

Now that she was close to me, I didn't know how to act. I caressed her cheek lightly, but the gesture felt strange. I wanted to gather her in my warm arms and after hugging her deeply, kiss her as she deserved. I still felt everyone looking at us and I was wondering if it was obvious what had happened between us the previous night.

Someone cleared their throat and I looked away from Sophie's face to see who it was, only to find Amelia looking at me with a raised eyebrow.

"Luke, can you help me with something in the kitchen before you start to eat?" I noticed a double meaning in her tone, but didn't say anything about it as I already knew she just wanted to get me alone.

I complied and stood from my chair. Following Ami, I noticed that everyone continued talking and started to eat as if nothing had happened.

As soon as we were on the kitchen, Ami faced me. "What the hell happened between you and Sophie last night? And don't lie because I'll know you're doing it." Her eyes were hard on me, scrutinizing my every move.

"We talked and…I just told her everything as you recommended." I ran my fingers through my hair, something I did when I got nervous and a trait I gained from my father. "About me imprinting on her when she was just a baby and why I decided to put some space between us."

"And how did she take it?"

"Good…she took the opportunity and told me how she felt about me and the situation. Like I suspected, she already knew about being my imprint, so it all went smoothly." I looked down not wanting Ami to see that I wasn't telling her the whole thing. I felt her eyes on me, studying all my actions. I knew she was analyzing my way of acting to what I told her.

"And nothing else happened? You can tell me, you know, as your best friend. Or do you prefer for me to find out next time you phase or through one of the other guys?"

"Is it that obvious that something else happened?" I asked perplexed.

"Well, since you got here you've had a goofy smile. Your eyes are shining and you've been walking with a bounce on your step. Also when Sophie got here your body language changed drastically—it was screaming how much you desire her." I could see that Ami was trying to be serious, but the side of her lip was pulling up, showing a small smile.

"We just kissed, nothing else happened. We just said out loud how we felt and before I knew it, we were kissing." I paused, groaning as the thought of Quil came into my mind. "God, Quil's going to kill me."

Ami just chuckled and shook her head. I was probably acting as a teenage boy would act before meeting the girlfriend's parents. Now that I thought about it, I wasn't even sure Sophie was my girlfriend—if that was allowed.

"Yep, Quil might kill you, but as I don't want any confrontations today, you better act normal around Sophie. But Luke, you have to tell him soon. We belong to a pack of wolves, it's impossible to keep secrets, even from the old members."

I was glad that Amelia didn't ask for any specific details, but I was sure the conversation wasn't over, just postponed.

We got back to the backyard and sat quickly, grabbing food so we wouldn't be left without any. Sophie had moved to the chair I was in, so she was next to Élan. They were talking fast and when I sat, Élan squinted his eyes at me before continuing to eat. Sophie had told me the previous night that _he _had confessed his love to her, I was glad when she told me she didn't feel anything for him apart from being friends.

"Everything okay?" she asked me. Her voice made my heart race faster. I took a deep breath and willed myself to stay in control, as I knew that soon Quil and Claire were going to arrive.

"Yeah," I simply said. Taking a bite of the delicious dinner Ami had made, I thought of how to act normal around Sophie. It seemed like a long time ago that I had interacted with her that way, even though it had only been months. "Umm…why are you here alone, I thought you were coming with your parents."

"That was the plan, but you know Michal's games take so long. So I convinced them to let me stay home alone so I could come here early and help Ami." She rolled her eyes when she said the lie about helping Ami.

"You didn't have to lie, you could have come later."

"I know, but I wanted to spend some time with you without parental supervision." As she finished speaking, her hand rested on my upper thigh, making me jump with surprise.

Once again everyone stared at us. Ami, who was sitting in front of us, raised an eyebrow as a reminder to behave. On her side Kaleb was snickering, until Ami hit him on the ribs. The guys from the pack were looking at us as if they were putting the pieces together, while the rest of the family members either were confused or shaking their heads as if scowling me. Mom and Dad gave me a hard look, but didn't say anything as they always stayed out of my imprint situation.

Since the day I imprinted on my cousin's daughter, Mom and Dad had told me to make decisions with a lot of prior thinking, not to act rashly. They, the same as Claire and Quil, were hesitant of what might happen between Sophie and me, but didn't say their worries out loud because they believed in the imprint power. If I imprinted, it was for a reason.

"Soph, behave. Unless you want your dad to get here and immediately notice there's something going on between us," I whispered in her ear.

"Okay. But it's not like he's going to find out soon. Everyone here obviously already knows and it will only take one comment out of line for Dad to realize the truth." It sometimes amazed me how observant Sophie could be.

"You're right, that's why I'll talk to him as soon as I get the opportunity," I said and after giving her small and innocent kiss on her forehead, continued to eat.

The sun had set and almost everyone was eating seconds—some were standing around talking—when Quil arrived with Claire and Michal. I was sitting on a bench with Sophie, who was talking to Élan and Abigail. When she saw the arrival of her parents, she tensed up and looked at me through the corner of her eye.

She must have been scared like me to what could happen and how Quil would react if he found out about us. My senses were all over the place, trying to pick up any sign that some conflict was going to arise. I was paying attention to what Abby was telling Sophie—she hadn't been feeling well or normal—but also, I was listening to the conversations others were having.

When Quil arrived, I listened as he greeted and told everyone why he was late. I saw him looking at Sophie, then at me. He must have been wondering if we had fixed things as he had a confused expression. Thank God Amelia got to him and distracted him by offering him food.

As he ate, I thought of ways to approach him and explain the situation, but all simulations ended up in Quil getting very mad and Claire trying to kill me. With the thought of things getting worse if he found out through someone else, I stood up from the bench and went to where Quil was sitting with Claire.

He was still eating while talking to Embry and Seth. Every step I took closer, my heart thumped faster. I saw Seth raise his head to look at me; he must have heard my erratic heartbeat and wondered what was wrong with me.

"Hey, Quil can I talk to you in private?" My voice didn't sound like it normally did, it was too edgy.

"Yeah." He got up and when we were a little away from the crowd he asked, "Is everything okay? You look so tense."

When we reached the side of the house, where no one could see us, I face Quil and said, "Everything's fine. I just wanted to talk about Sophie."

"About?" His face became immediately a hard mask. "I saw the two of you talking, so much for keeping your distance."

"I know, but it was hard and you very well know its torture to be away from your imprint." I kept passing my finger through my hair, looking for the best way to approach the subject. "Yesterday we talked—"

"Yesterday?"

_Shit!_ I had completely forgotten that Quil didn't know I had sneaked into Sophie's room—and hopefully he would never find out that I stayed the night. Right in that moment I decided to risk everything and take another approach, there was no necessity in ruining the night by telling him I had kissed his daughter.

"Yeah, I called her late at night. You know she was acting weird since that day she stayed at my apartment. Well I suspected that she overheard us talking about imprinting and I needed to know if that was the case." I was shocked at how steady my voice was sounding, even though I was very nervous that I was going to get caught on the lie. "After a while of talking, it turns out she did overheard us, so I was left with no choice than to explain everything to her."

Quil looked as if he was thinking deeply before telling me, "That's good. You know I'm all about giving Sophie the choice of how to take her life, but since you stayed away, she'd been acting so gloomed. I knew there was something wrong, but every time I tried to ask her, her whole demeanor went down. And this morning, she was so happy."

He had a silly smile on his face, the same one I had all day. "She was even singing," he added.

We kept talking about my supposedly conversation with Sophie and how she had reacted. It amazed me how easily it turned out to keep the truth from Quil. I was feeling guilty of keeping secrets from him, but I was scared of how he would react or everyone else.

When we got back, some of the guys were getting ready to play a game of football. I grinned remembering how nasty some of the games we've played ad gotten. Usually only played the guys who were on the pack, as no one wanted to end up hurt. Thomas had once played with us a few months after he stopped phasing. When he finally got the ball, Matty tried to take it from him, only he didn't measure his strength and ended breaking Thomas' arm.

"Are you playing?" Kaleb asked me. He had a devilish smile and I knew he wasn't going to play fair—well when he did?

"Yeah, I'm in,"

We got divided into teams. I was with Matty, Seth and Mekhan—even though he was human, was very tall and muscular. In the other team were Ami, Kaleb, Jayson and Cody. Mathias had stayed out because he was playing a card game with the triplets, I knew he wanted to play, but his imprint's wishes came first.

Mathias was a very conservative guy and he didn't show how he felt towards the situation of imprinting on Eli, but we all knew he was very scared. All of us who had imprinted were always scared of what will happen with our imprint—not knowing if that devotion you feel towards your imprint will be replied, can be somewhat terrifying. But in Mathias case was worse, as he didn't know if Eli will ever be gay like him.

As we got ready to start the game, I saw Seth eyeing Kaleb with malice. He always took opportunities like this one, to have an excuse to be aggressive with Kaleb. None of us understood why Seth couldn't still forgive Kaleb, even though he knew the imprint bond was unbreakable, but we didn't ask him directly as he always got mad and lashed out at you. When in wolf form, Seth always guarded his thoughts with strong barriers, something he gained by practicing for years, so no one knew the real reason for his undying resentment.

The game started as it always did, everyone playing safely and by the rules. Things turned ugly when Seth had the ball and Kaleb tackled him into a heap of mud. Seth didn't act angry, but we all saw in his eyes the burning fire of rage.

The game continued and I finally got the ball. I could hear Sophie cheering me on and I almost feel from the distraction. I passed the ball to Matty as he was the fastest on our team. He dodged through everyone, scoring the first point. We all thought Seth had forgotten about Kaleb until Ami passed the ball to Kaleb and things got ugly. I saw Seth set his eyes on Kaleb as he tried to avoid Mekhan. Without warning, Seth ran and with no hesitation grabbed Kaleb from the side, pounding him hard against the ground.

We all heard the deafening crack of a rib breaking only to be followed by Kaleb's howl of pain. There were a few seconds of silence, and then everyone moved at the same time, some shouting instructions.

Ami got to Kaleb's side in a flash, easily pushing Seth aside. Without getting complete off the ground, Seth let out a deep growl. She just ignored him, caressing Kaleb's face and telling him how much she loved him. That seemed to bring Seth out of his bad temper. He huffed, stood up and left through the woods.

Daniel, Addison and Eli were standing a little away, watching what just happened with saddened eyes. They loved their grandpa a lot, but weren't ignorant of the fact that he didn't like their father. Mom got to them and ushered them inside, they complied and left. Mathias followed them some seconds later.

Paul was standing next to Rachel, with his arm around her shoulder. He looked shaken and seemed like he was struggling between going after Seth or staying and not make things worse. I noticed that he was breathing deeply, as if controlling his temper as not to phase after so many years.

Jared had left—probably to get his doctor bag as he was carrying it—and once he came back, he told everyone to give him some space. He kneeled on the ground next to Kaleb, and with tender fingers started to touch his side. Kaleb flinched and locked his jaw as not to cry out in pain again.

"At least three or four broken ribs," Jared muttered but we all heard him perfectly.

Matty, Jayson and Cody were huddled together, forming a barrier behind Ami. "Amelia, what do you want us to do?" Matty asked.

"Nothing. I'm tired of arguing with Dad, just let him cool down," she answered. I saw how distressed Ami was. It must have been hard to love someone and know that your father was never going to accept him.

Soon everyone started to pick up everything as it seemed like it was going to rain. I help Ami move Kaleb inside, where Jared began to bandage his ribs so they would heal correctly. I went back outside to help clean up and take to the shed the tables and chairs. You could hear everyone murmuring and chatting in hushed voices about what just happened. They didn't agree of the way Seth was acting, mainly knowing he was the adult in the situation.

After everything was organized and cleaned up, the guests stared to leave. The only ones left at the end were Mathias, Paul, Rachel and Sophie. Jayson had left with Matthew to start patrol, while Cody had gone to take his girlfriend to his house before joining the guys on patrol. The rest of the people had left to either give Ami and Kaleb some quiet time, or because they had things to do.

I was currently sitting on the big couch with Sophie tucked under my arm. When Quil had left, I told him I would return her home safely. He just agreed without hesitation, still unaware of what was truly going on.

The triplets were lying on the floor, so was Carrie who was staying the night. She and Addison were good friends and did this often. Mathias was sitting on my left, his legs stretched in front of him. Every so often, his eyes would stray from the movie we were watching, to the back of Eli's head.

Kaleb was on the recliner, his posture very straight as he was still bandaged up. Every time Mathias looked at Eli, he huffed in frustration. He knew he was acting stupid, but couldn't help been overprotective of his son. Paul was also eyeing Mathias regularly, as if he was going to do something inappropriate. Ami was on the kitchen with Rachel, who was trying to keep her distracted. Even though Ami knew that Kaleb was alright, she was still tense and pissed off from what Seth had done.

I was trying to pay attention to the movie when I felt Sophie's fingers pass softly over my knee. I shifted slightly so I could see her face better. Though her eyes were glued to the TV, a smirk was evident in her mouth. I placed my hand above hers so she would stop her taunting. Her eyes immediately found mine and I chuckle when she had an innocent look, as if she wasn't doing anything wrong.

Sophie stretched her neck so her mouth was leveled with my ear and whispered, "Can we talk in private?"

I shook my head slightly. I could feel eyes on me and I didn't want anyone to think we were sneaking off to do something I wasn't intending to do. Sophie was the kind of girl who was very insistent and she never gave up until she got what she wanted. Squeezing my thigh she looked at me with pleading eyes. Her fingers felt like fire and as she started rubbing, I knew I needed to get out of there.

"Fine," I muttered, standing up and heading for the back door.

"Where you going?" Ami asked as she was coming out of the kitchen.

"Grab some fresh air." I knew it was lame excuse, but I didn't know what else to say. I could feel Sophie behind me. Ami looked at both of us and before moving to the living room, she gave me a look that meant to be careful and not do something I'd regret later.

Once outside, Sophie grabbed my hand and led me to the forest edge. When we reached the shadow of the trees, I stopped Sophie as she seemed as if she was heading inside the forest.

"Soph, I think this is far enough. What did you want to talk about?" I asked.

"I just wanted to be alone with you." she had a mischievous look and before I realized what she was planning, she grabbed my shirt and pulled me down so I was leveled with her face.

Her lips ghosted against mine, as if testing my reaction. Because I didn't back away—not that I would ever want to—she pressed her lips harder. I couldn't contain the moan that escaped from between my lips and I felt Sophie shiver. I didn't know if it was that she was cold or a response to the kiss, but either way I wrapped my arms around her tiny frame. She immediately melted into my embrace and intensified the kiss, her lips molding perfectly with mine.

Time could have been passing fast or slow, I didn't pay attention. All it mattered was that I was kissing the most important being on Earth. Things progressed slowly and without realizing, I had Sophie pressed against a tree, her legs wrapped around my waist. We were panting hard and broke the kiss to catch our breath. I didn't waste the opportunity I had. Placing small kisses through her long neck, I memorized more her luscious scent. She stretched her neck to give me better access, her finger tangling on my hair. I felt giddy that we were perfectly tuned.

It had been such a long time since I had been like this with a woman, which made my body ache for more. In the back of my mind I knew that I should take things slowly, but my body was craving for Sophie's soft and gentle body. I was beginning to get addicted to her scent and her taste was making me get an unending high.

"Take me back to your place," Sophie whispered. Her hands were all over the parts of my body she could reach and it felt as though I was burning from the inside out.

I was torn between complying with her request or doing the right thing. I'd waited so long to be like this with my imprint, that now that I was finally with her, I didn't what was the right way to take things.

"Soph, I can't," I answered and watched as her expression fell. Before she could beg, I continued, "I can't risk taking you to my apartment and doing something I don't want to do." As soon as those words were out of my mouth, I knew I had made things worse.

Sophie pushed her way out of my arms, leaving me feeling empty. "You don't want me."

"It's not that. I want you…you have no idea how much I desire you. But we can't be together the way you want. At least not until you're old enough."

"I'm not a little girl you know." Was her only response as she fixed her hair and clothes and stormed away, into the house.

I stood on the shadows for a little while, trying to control the want of going inside, picking Sophie up, and taking her to my place. Denying your imprint what they want isn't necessarily painful, but very uncomfortable. I couldn't think straight or make sense of the images that were running through my mind. I finally moved when I felt Sophie's pull getting farther.

Freaking out, I bolted though the back door, almost breaking the frame. I rapidly saw that Paul and Rachel weren't there, neither was Sophie. "Where is she?"

"She took a ride with Paul and Rachel. She seemed upset, what happened?" Ami asked. She was sitting next to Kaleb, passing her hand lazily though his hair.

"Nothing," I mumbled. I wasn't in the mood for explanations. Once again Sophie had left me wondering what I could have done differently. I knew how it felt to be a teenager with raging hormones, but I didn't want to ruin her innocence so soon.

I said goodbye to everyone and left the house. On my way out I told Ami that I was leaving my car there as I wanted to run. Once in my wolf form, I knew it was a bad decision. Matty and Jayson were still doing patrols and all I wanted was to be alone and think.

_Oh, things are getting pretty serious, _Matthew commented as he saw my thoughts of what I had done with Sophie.

_I don't want to discuss it. Just stay out of my head. _My tone showed how pissed off I was. They just huffed and went on with patrol. I wasn't mad at them, more at myself for being so weak and leading Sophie into false hope. The guys didn't bother me for the rest of the night and I was grateful.

I was running without paying attention to where I was going. When her scent became strong, I noticed I was close to her house. Without phasing back, I got on my belly and listened to Sophie's heartbeat. I knew she was awake, but decided not to talk to her until my mind was set on the right place. I didn't want to complicate things more. I knew our relationship was going to have lots of complications, but I wasn't expecting them so soon.

When Sophie's heartbeat finally slowed down, a sign that she was asleep, I pushed aside all the bad thoughts from my mind and only relived how happy I felt when I was kissing her. I set my mind in talking to her in the morning and explain how I felt about being intimate with her. Hopefully we could reach an agreement as I didn't want to deny her no more.

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****Please Review...**


	21. Last Preparations

**A/N:** _Here is the next one. Enjoy ad tell me what you think. If you want to know how I'm doing with the next chapter... I give updates through my twitter account. Follow me at _**twitter(dot)com/MissAndre_27 **

Also I added Sophie's dress in my Webs Page... link is on my profile.

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**Chapter 19: Last Preparations**

**Sophie's POV**

Kissing Luke made me feel more than I'd ever felt in my entire life. It felt prefect and I knew I could kiss someone else and it was never going to please me the same way. But when he rejected me last night, I felt so hurt that I couldn't help but wonder how Freddie would have acted if it was him instead of Luke. I even thought of how Élan would have taken my insinuation of having sex.

I knew that Freddie would have taken me to his place immediately and have his way with me. He had suggested us having sex before—just as friends he always reminded me—but at the time I wasn't ready. Or maybe I felt he wasn't the one I wanted to lose my virginity with. With Freddie, things were only physical, but with Luke it was much more. I wanted to be with him all the time, learn by heart all those little details that made him who he is. Spend hours hearing him, so I could at least get a small glimpse of his way of thinking. I never knew what loving someone—apart from your family—would be like. But now I knew.

I liked being in love, but at the same time it scared me. It was all too uncertain and I didn't know how I was going to react to the ways Luke wanted to take our relationship. I wasn't even sure if that is what we had—was I his girlfriend?

I huffed with frustration and tried once again to concentrate on the book I was reading. It was around noon and I sat on the front porch enjoying the light drizzle that was falling. I had woken up early, expecting Luke to already be there, but he wasn't. I felt horrible for the way I acted the previous night and I wanted to apologize, but he wouldn't even answer his phone. I called various times, only to be sent into voice mail. I gave up after the twentieth time, hoping that he had lost his phone, not that he was mad at me.

After pacing around the house for a while, Mom got exasperated and told me to find something to do. I decided to read a book Élan had given me a while back and that was how I spent the whole morning. The book was pretty interesting—about a girl who killed herself and left a bunch of tapes to some people so they would know why she did it—but it couldn't keep me distracted. Every once in awhile I would get lost in my mind by wondering what could have happened the night before, or about what obviously didn't happen.

I huffed again and closed the book with a loud snap. Taking my phone out of my pocket, I dialed Luke's number once again. I wasn't expecting an answer, but decided to leave him a message.

After the beep I said, "Luke…I'm sorry for the way I acted yesterday—it was childish. I want to talk to you in person and apologize properly, so please come to my house or return my call…I love you." I pushed the end button, feeling once again disappointed that he hadn't answered.

An hour later I was watching a movie with Michal. Mom came into the living room and sat on my side.

"Sophie, what's wrong? You've had a frown all day and I don't like it," Mom said. In moments like this I didn't like how observant my mother was.

"Nothing's wrong," I mumbled. Michal gave me a look as if he knew I wasn't being sincere.

"Really? I thought all this moping was over now that you're talking to Luke again." Her stare was piercing a hole on my face, but I held back the tears that wanted to fall. As I didn't speak, she continued, "Sophie you know you can talk to me. I'm not like your father, I understand."

It sounded as if she knew what I was going through. Maybe she did as she was also an imprint. I weighted my options in either telling her what was bothering me, or keep the secret. I decided to give her enough information to satiate her curiosity, but still not admit that I was with Luke in more than just friends.

"I'm just being silly. Luke didn't come today and he's not returning my calls." I felt stupid in saying out loud how I was feeling, but at the same time lighter.

"You don't have to worry. I bet he has a good reason as to why he hasn't come or called. Maybe he had to work or is running with the pack." Mom's words were trying to reassure me that everything was alright, but they did the opposite. I hadn't thought of Luke being in wolf form. Dread rose within me as I thought of him being in trouble—maybe there were vampires around.

An idea occurred to me and I grabbed my phone once again. Only this time I called Aunt Ami's house. There was no answer and I got more worried as there was a great possibility of something gone wrong.

Luke once told me that on my second birthday he had phased close to me so he could keep Kaleb from killing his brother. I didn't remember the event, but he told me I was pretty shaken about it. After that I hadn't had any encounter with any of the guys in wolf form. I had seen Luke as a wolf—when I was little and understood what he could change into, I always asked him to turn into a wolf so I could cuddle him and pet his soft fur—but I prevented thinking of him as a protector or the fact he killed vampires. It was frightening.

"Mom do you think something could have happened? Aunt Ami isn't answering either," I said absentmindedly. Mom had watched me use my phone without saying a word.

"I don't know. But if something came up, be assured that the pack is capable of taking care of themselves. If it was something big, we would have known by now." With that she stood up and left for the kitchen.

Michal was looking at me with big eyes. He was fascinated with the wolves and one day he hoped to join them. He continued to stare at me, annoying the hell out of me.

"What?"

"Don't you think it's a little weird that you and Luke are so close, he's a grown man." Michal didn't know about Luke imprinting on me. He, like me, knew the concept but didn't know I was an imprint.

"He's always been a friend and Mom's cousin."

I was saved from saying more as the phone decided to ring in that moment. I stood from the couch and went to answer it, but Mom beat me to it.

"Hello," she answered. I stayed by her side, trying to find out who it was. There was a nagging feeling in my stomach, as if something had gone wrong.

"Oh my God, really? And are you okay?" Mom asked, her forehead was frowned—a sign that it wasn't good news.

"Who is it? What's going on?" I hissed. Mom just raised her hand, telling me to stop talking.

After a few minutes, I was pacing in front of her. Mom got off the phone; I looked at her waiting for an answer.

"That was Leah. Abigail just phased."

I gasped and couldn't believe what Mom just told me. Abby and I weren't as close as I was with Élan, but we were still friends.

"Wow. She was just telling me yesterday that she's been feeling weird. I never thought that she would…" I let the thought hang in the air as I still couldn't grasp the idea of Abby—the delicate and most beautiful girl—was a wolf. Well I guess the female wolf gene did run in the Clearwater family. "Is she okay?"

"Yeah, she's still in wolf form, but Leah said she's okay." Mom made to leave but turned around as if she had something else to say. "Oh…you don't have to worry about Luke. Apparently there have been suspicions of vampire's attacks on Sequim and last night Jayson and Matthew ran into them. They're okay, but the whole pack spent all night tracking them down until this morning when they finally caught them. That's probably what made Abigail change."

I let out the breath I'd been holding. Luke wasn't mad at me—at least that was what I told myself. That was all it mattered.

I didn't have to wonder how Luke was doing for long, as soon after the phone call, he came through the backdoor, only wearing some cutout shorts. I raked my eyes over his body and resisted the urge to cover his hard chest with kisses.

"Are you alright?" I asked getting closer. I knew he was, but wanted to make sure. I could feel Michal watching us intently and I wondered if he was suspecting something.

"Yeah, it's been a hectic night and day…" He went on with a detailed explanation of what had happened. It seemed it was after midnight when he heard Ami's howl, telling him there was an emergency. They spent all night following the vampires' scent and almost at dawn they caught them—two males and a female. "And you probably already heard about Abigail."

"Yeah, I did. Leah called Mom." It felt awkward being so close to him and not being able to touch him the way I wanted to.

"The weird part is Abby changed after we killed the leeches. Maybe she was already changing and the close proximity triggered the final transformation." Luke was speaking out loud but it was as if he was only speculating to himself.

"She told me yesterday she wasn't feeling well. Probably her close and constant contact with Emma made the effect."

My idea seemed to have had significance on Luke and he nodded his head as if everything made sense now. Of course, Leah being Seth's sister, meant she and her family were some of the few ones who had big contact with Emma and that was bound to leave a mark.

"Are you hungry?" Mom asked. I felt stupid for not thinking about that.

"Well, we hunted on our way back, but I wouldn't mind some cooked food," Luke answered with a chuckle.

I wanted some alone time with him, but I couldn't find a way to have it without raising suspicions. Either Mom or Michal were around asking him a bunch of questions and later Dad arrived from work, making the task harder.

We all ate dinner like old times, Dad re-living old memories through Luke's recount of the night's events. Mom and Dad didn't know it had been Paul who had brought me home last night, so they didn't inquire Luke for answers.

Luke let out a huff and stood from his chair. We were already done eating but were still talking.

"I better get going. I have patrol until midnight with Mathias, and Abby is probably still in wolf form, she'll like some company," Luke said. I pouted a little as I didn't get my alone time with him.

"Okay and keep us informed about anything that happens," Dad said. Mom and Dad started to pick up the dishes and take them to the sink while I followed Luke to the back door.

"I'm sorry, you know…for yesterday," I said feeling once again shy and ashamed of how I had acted.

Luke got really close and inclining his head, he whispered into my ear, "I'll come later, when everyone is asleep. That way we can talk privately."

I only nodded and watched as he ran to the edge of the forest and disappeared in the darkness. The silence was broken by a happy howl and I knew Luke was reassuring me he was alright and that we would talk later.

It was still a little after seven and I got anxious as time seemed to go real slowly. I decided to pass the time in my room. Thankfully, Élan decided to call me and I passed the time talking to him about random stuff. Ever since he had confessed his love to me, I'd prevented talking to him about Luke, as I knew it hurt him. Instead, I brought Abby's situation and we spent hours just discussing what changes we noticed or how things were going to be from now on. At least she had her mother for support and influence and Ami as a mentor. It must have been hard to be on a pack without any other female, but Abby would have Ami.

"Michal was saying earlier that he wished it was him instead of Abby. Sometimes he can be so immature," I told Élan; rolling my eyes even though he couldn't see me.

"Why do you say that?" Élan's tone gave me the impression that he didn't agree with my opinion of Michal. Before I could defend my point, he continued, "You know our dads were the previous protectors and they were proud of it—still are. Why wouldn't we want that important role? You know, make them proud."

"I'm not seeing it like that." I paused to organize my thoughts. "It's scary for us who stay behind knowing that the people we care about and love are out there risking their lives. You must understand our side, too."

Élan stayed quiet as if considering what I had just told him. "I guess you're right if I see it from your perspective. You must be really worried right now knowing that Luke is out there." I didn't know if he was doing it on purpose or really couldn't contain his bitterness as he spoke of Luke, but either way, I didn't like his attitude. Neither did I like how the conversation was going, so I changed it.

"Do you want to become a shape-shifter?"

"Well, I'm not looking for Emma so I could rub myself against her, but if it comes, then I'll welcome it as Dad did," he answered.

We continued talking until Mom came into my room and told me I'd been on the phone for too long. Even though it didn't cost me anything to talk to Élan, as we both had the same cell phone plan, our parents always complained when we talked for a long time.

After I hung up, I got ready for bed, went into the living room to say goodnight to everyone, and returned to my room to wait for Luke.

I was reading the same book I had earlier, when I heard some shuffling outside my window. I stood from my bed and walked on tiptoes to my window. A smile broke on my face as I saw Luke jump and clung to the sill, until I opened the window pane. We stood quietly in the middle of my room, just watching each other. It must have been drizzling again as he had droplets in his hair and broad shoulders. Once again I was drawn by his raw beauty, only this time I could act on my instincts. I wrapped my arms around his waist, pressed my face to his chest, and inhaled his amazing, woodsy scent.

"Mmm…I like how you smell," I whispered and knew he was restraining his laughter as I could hear a rumbling coming from within him.

"I like how you smell, too." He lifted my face and lowered his so our lips could meet. It was a sweet kiss, but it contained how much he loved me and I him.

When our lips parted, I said, "I'm sorry for the way I acted last night, it was childish."

"I'm not mad. I can't be mad at you, you're too adorable," he chuckled.

I raised my hands in frustration and let them fall hard on his chest. He probably didn't feel anything, but my hands were tingling with pain. "So I could act like an ignorant and stupid person all the time and it's not going to make any difference? Luke, I don't want you to be like a robot that does and act as I say."

"I'm not saying that's how things will be. I'm here to talk and tell you how I want to take things with you—set a pace." Luke let go of me and went to my bed. Once he was sitting, he patted his side, telling me to join him.

I went to the bed, but instead of sitting where he told me, I lay on my side and motioned for him to do the same. We ended in a position similar to the one we had that first night he stayed over.

Once we were comfortable, Luke began speaking, "Soph, I know you want to be intimate with me, and trust me, I want it, too. But, we're just starting this relationship and you're too young."

I chuckled darkly as I couldn't believe he was using my age as an excuse. "What age were you when you lost it…your virginity I mean?"

"Seventeen."

"So I'll have to wait until that age or until I'm legal?" I asked, my voice dripping with sullenness.

I saw as Luke's eyes got big and he took a deep breath to control his emotions. I knew I was acting stupid once again, but when I didn't get what I wanted, I got defensive and didn't see clearly who got hurt in the way.

"Do you think you're the only one suffering here?"

"Why suffer at all?" I countered. I was looking directly into his eyes, not wavering in my determination in getting what I wanted. Luke was the one to lower his eyes.

Releasing a breath he said, "You make it sound like its just sex to you. I don't know about you, but for me is more than that. You would be the second girl I would be with." He didn't look at me as he spoke and I felt as though each word was a knife driven through my heart. I hadn't thought of how long Luke had waited to be with me like this and now I was ruining everything by trying to rush things. He obviously wanted the occasion to be special and on the right moment.

"I'm very sorry…again." I inched closer to him, wrapping my arm around his waist. I spoke into his chest, not daring to see his reaction. "When I'm with you, I feel like a kid at a candy store. I just want to taste, see, and experience everything fast because I'm afraid it's all going to disappear or turn into a dream. I love you too much."

Luke didn't respond with words, instead he wrapped his arms around me and held me tightly against his chest. After a few minutes, he spoke, his voice barely a whisper. "It's all real, and I'm not going anywhere."

Once again his lips were against mine and I got lost in them. I forgot where I was or what would happen if Mom or Dad found us in bed like this. The only thing I thought about was how good Luke's lips felt against mine. Luke made as if to break the kiss, but I clung to him, intensifying it.

"Hmm…Soph?" he mumbled against my lips.

"Mmm?"

"We should stop." He stopped kissing me and looked at me with a small smile. I groaned and once again buried my face on his chest.

"We're just kissing," I hissed not lifting my face.

"I know, but _I _don't want to get carried away."

"Then don't," I said, resuming our make-out session. Even though I felt Luke holding back, I enjoyed the moment. Again Luke was the one who broke the kiss.

After a few seconds of just watching me, he said, "I want to stay, but…as I have to get up early tomorrow since I have to work, I can't."

"Okay," I said, trying to hide the disappointment. I thought he was going to stay like the last time.

"I'll come after work, that is if I don't have to patrol," he whispered, kissing my lips tenderly.

"That sounds good…Oh wait, tomorrow I'm going to Port Angeles with Mom and I don't know what time we'll be back. We're buying some stuff for my birthday party." I noticed Luke's eyes shift to one side, as if realizing something. "You didn't forget about my birthday? Right?"

"No silly. I just hadn't realized its a few weeks away," he said with that amazing smile still playing on his lips.

He kissed me one more time and after promising to come the next night, he left through the window. It took a while for me to fall asleep, I couldn't stop thinking of Luke and how wonderful he made me feel. He was the perfect man and I felt lucky that he was mine and I was his.

The next day I woke up with a big smile, even though Mom had woken me before eight o' clock. I was eating breakfast when the smile got erased from my face.

"Should I be concern that Luke spent another night with my sister?" Michal asked in a hushed voice. He wasn't going with us to Port Angeles as he was going camping with some of his friends.

"I don't know what you're talking about." I tried to act normal, but my hands were shaking, making the spoon I was holding clink against the plate. I looked at my little brother and he had a raised eyebrow, as if telling me he knew I was lying.

_Damn it!_

I put the spoon down and faced my brother before saying, "Okay, he came last night. But you can't tell Mom and Dad."

"Why is he sneaking into your room?"

"We're just friends," I said as I saw him putting the clues together. I didn't want Michal to assume something worse than Luke just being my boyfriend. "Élan sometimes stays over, why can't Luke do the same?"

"Because, it's not the same. Élan is your age, while Luke is—"

"Older, I know. But age doesn't change anything. Besides, like I said before, he's just my friend." Every time I said that Luke was just my friend, I couldn't help but feel as I was betraying him. It felt wrong to deny what we had.

Michal made as if he was going to say something else, but stopped when Mom came into the kitchen. As much as he wanted to know what was going on with Luke, he didn't want to get me in trouble. I gave him a grateful stare and continued to eat my cereal.

Soon I was on my way with Mom to Port Angeles. We talked mostly about what I wanted to buy for the party and who I was planning to invite. When we arrived, all the small talk was left behind and we got into the task ahead.

As the party was going to be on our backyard, we decided to get simple decorations. Of course they needed to be either hot pink or turquoise—my favorite colors. We found what we wanted fast in one of the many department stores, but I was still missing the most essential thing—my dress.

I wanted something that shouted maturity, but at the same time not too revealing, as I didn't want to give Dad a heart attack. After taking the bags we had to the car, we decided to eat lunch first and later go to the clothes' stores. I knew I needed a full belly and complete concentration for the task.

Mom and I went to eat at Maria's Mexican Restaurant, a very cozy place and our favorite. We fell into silence as we sat and waited for someone to come and bring us the menus. Soon, a waiter came and after looking at the menus for a while, we placed our orders. As we waited, Mom asked me what I had in mind for my outfit. I told her I was inclined in finding a pink dress, but I was open for other clothes.

We continued to make small talk as our food arrived and we began to eat. Mom mostly asked me questions about the decorations and food she would be making and I would answer her without effort. I was taken by surprise when she asked me if I had someone specific in mind to be my escort. I didn't want to have a traditional sweet sixteen, but Mom insisted otherwise, telling me I only turned sixteen once in a lifetime. I hadn't thought of the matter in a while, but now Mom wanted an answer.

"I haven't thought about it," I lied.

A few months ago I had decided that if Mom insisted, I would ask Élan, but now I knew there was only one person I wanted to ask. But I knew asking Luke to be my escort was going to raise a lot of questions—questions I didn't want to answer.

"For someone who hasn't thought about it, you seem too deep in thought." Mom was eyeing me profoundly as she sipped her lemonade. "What's on your mind?"

"Nothing…just stuff about the party."

Soon we finished eating and continued with our shopping. I already had in mind a few stores where I could find the dress, so the rest of the day went by fast.

I had already gone to two stores with no luck in finding the outfit I had in mind. I had found some possible choices, but Mom would turn them down immediately either because they were too revealing or too sexy.

Finally in our last store, I fell in love with a cute, hot pink dress. Mom, at first, was a little hesitant as the dress was strapless and with a low back, but at least it reached just above my knees. What I loved most was the fact that it accentuated my body shape, as the bottom resembled a tulip and it had pockets—a plus for me.

Mom saw how much I liked it, and after trying it on, she said I could buy it. She told me she would deal with Dad, as she knew he was going to freak out.

Our drive back was much lighter, as the tension of buying everything was lifted off our shoulders.

The rest of the month went by in a blur and before I realized it, we were already in August. Luke kept visiting me at night and sometimes spent the night. Those nights were the best, not only because of the long make-out sessions, but because I slept very peaceful.

Michal didn't bring up again the subject of Luke staying over, but sometimes I saw him looking at me or Luke in a thoughtful way. I knew he was trying to figure out things before approaching me again, or maybe couldn't find the proper moment to do it, since Mom kept us very busy with the last arrangements for the party. No matter if he found out or not, I didn't give it a lot of thought, as all I cared about was my birthday and spending an amazing night afterwards with the love of my life. If things went as I'd planned them, all my wishes were going to come true.

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****Please Review...**


	22. Sixteen Candles

**A/N**: _Sorry for taking so long, again. These weeks have been hectic over here. A lot of rain and the electricity have been failing a lot. This chapter was going to be longer, but I realized it was getting too long, so I divided it in two._

_Don't be mad at me and hope you'll enjoy it. **Please Review as always!**_

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**Chapter 20: Sixteen Candles**

**Sophie's POV**

I couldn't believe Luke wasn't still here. He had promised he was going to arrive before all the invites, but almost everyone was in the backyard and Luke was nowhere to be seen. I knew he wasn't doing patrol, as Ami had promised all of the guys would be free so they could enjoy the night.

I was in my room, watching through the window as everyone talked and interacted with each other, waiting for me to make presence on my own party. A white tent had been propped in the middle of the backyard. It wasn't big, as not a lot of people were invited—just my family, the guys from the pack and their families, and some of my friends from school. I still hadn't seen how the inside was decorated. I helped Mom buy everything, but she wanted to do the last preparations herself, so I would be surprised.

I was supposed to go down in a few minutes, but I didn't want to do it if Luke wasn't here.

A knock on my door drew my eyes away from the backyard. Mom came into my room, looking stunning, as always. She was wearing a grey dress that had a big black ribbon around her waist, showing how small she still was. Mom was the kind of woman who got older but her body didn't suffer too many changes.

"You look so beautiful," I said, walking away from the window. I wanted to smile and feel very happy as I was supposed to feel—it was my birthday after all—but I couldn't find the happiness within me. Luke still hadn't arrived or even called me.

"What's wrong?" Mom asked.

I tried to smile again, but the motion seemed alien to me. "Nothing, really…just nervous."

Mom opened her mouth as if to say something, but then closed it, changing her mind. After some thinking she said, "There's nothing to be nervous about. You already know everyone and all you have to worry about is having a good time."

"I know, but still I can't help but wonder what everyone is thinking about the decorations and everything else," I said looking at myself in the mirror, checking if everything was in place. The dress I bought was perfect, making me look older. I felt Mom approach me, coming into view in the mirror as she encased my shoulders with her arm.

"You're my daughter Sophie, and as a mother I notice the changes you're going through. Not only physically, but mentally and emotionally," Mom began to say. I didn't know where she was going with this, but I felt as if this conversation was crucial. "You have traits from both your father and I. I admit you got your insistence from me, but your heart is pure as Quil's."

Every time Mom talked about Dad, she would get this goofy smile and her eyes twinkled like a thousand starts. Mom turned me around, so I was facing her instead. "The way you grew up was very similar to how I grew up. I had your father and you've had Luke. I've been waiting for you to ask me about Luke's constant presence in your life, but you haven't."

My heart dropped as I realized Mom was steering the conversation to Luke's relationship with me. Had she noticed something? Well, she knew about imprinting, but did she suspect I knew about Luke imprinting on me?

"Mom, I should be getting into the backyard, everyone is waiting for me. We can have this talk later." I tried in vain to get out of the situation I was in, but Mom never gave up, just as I was.

"No, we need to talk about this now. You're becoming a young woman and I know your way of seeing life is changing. I see it all in your eyes. The way you look at Luke and how you act around him. Your feelings are changing and I can't believe you haven't approach me to discuss those feelings."

I closed my eyes and thought of how to evade the things Mom wanted to know. Mom and I were very close and I always told her how I felt toward something, but since I began my relationship with Luke, that connection got affected a little.

I didn't speak, still not sure how to tell Mom what was happening between Luke and me. After a while, Mom let out a loud breath and asked, "How do you feel about Luke? You can tell me, I'll understand."

I knew she would understand, but I was still scared about how she would react. After all, Luke was still family. I realized I was tired of keeping such a big secret, it made me feel guilty whenever I was around any member of my family.

"Don't be mad, please. I've known about Luke imprinting on me for a while and he knows that I know," I said, not meeting Mom's eyes.

There was a long silence and when it started to get uncomfortable, there was a light knock on my door. I thought things couldn't get worse, but when I looked up and saw Dad standing on my doorway, I knew the situation just went from bad to horrible.

"What are the two of you doing up here? Everyone's asking for the birthday girl," Dad said cheerfully. He must have seen our serious faces because his smile vanished. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, baby. Sophie just told me she's feeling a little nervous and I was reassuring her that today is her day and it will be perfect." As Mom spoke I could hear how much she was doing to hide the shock she must have still been feeling. She didn't meet my eyes once as she spoke.

"Oh…well your mom is right, Soph," Dad said, approaching me. "You look so beautiful, you know, even though I still think you're showing too much skin. Maybe you should put a sweater on; the night can get quite chilly."

I grunted remembering how mad Dad was when he saw the dress. Thank God Mom was there to calm him down and made him realize that I wasn't a little girl anymore. "Dad, I'm not going to cover up. Besides, it's impossible to be cold when you're surrounded by a bunch of werewolves. The tent will be pretty toasty."

Dad huffed, but I saw him looking at me, his eyes sparkling with happiness. "Come on, you should be having a good time in the backyard."

With that he left my room, Mom following him. Before Mom left completely, she looked back and I knew we weren't done with the conversation. I looked at myself in the mirror one more time and left my room.

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I was amazed at how good the decorations meshed together. The tables had light turquoise mantles with centerpieces—a crystal vase with pink flowers. Balloons and streamers of the same colors were decorating the ceiling, accompanied by white Christmas lights dangling from random places—giving the place a warm atmosphere.

Soon my mood lightened a little as everyone congratulated me and wished me a Happy Birthday. I was excited that everyone I had invited came, it wasn't constantly that the whole family and friends got together like this. I squealed when Abigail came to me.

"Oh my God, how are you?" I asked after she gave me a very warm hug.

"I'm fine. You know, getting accustomed," she said lowly. Some of our friends from school were around and none of them were suppose to know about the shape-shifters. I dragged her to a table and we sat, getting away from unwanted ears.

"Is it weird? Being part of the pack, I mean?" I asked once sure no one could hear us over the loud music.

"Yeah, you know I've always been very conservative when it comes to my personal life and now the whole pack knows all about me. And trust me, I don't like being in the head of a bunch of guys. I understand now why Amelia craved to have some feminine time with Mom." She chuckled, but it wasn't as freely as before. I saw some sadness deep within her eyes.

"Abby, how are you truly feeling about this?" I asked.

"You know, I'm okay, but becoming _this_ comes with a lot of consequences. Your life turns unpredictable and you don't know what could happen in the next second," she said, looking around at her pack brothers. "Our life is so unstable and I'm scared of loosing myself in all of this."

I didn't know what exact words to say to make her feel better, so I told her the only solution that came into mind. "How about if we have a sleepover soon? Like old times. We can do it during the week, one night that you don't have patrol."

"That sounds great and we can talk about everything, including Luke," she said with a smile. I tense up realizing that now that Abigail was a wolf, she knew all the secrets, including my relationship with Luke.

"You haven't—"

"No, I haven't told anyone. Amelia has a rule, whatever we find out through someone else's mind, we can't divulge to someone outside the pack. So your secret is safe with me," Abigail said, making as if to zip her mouth.

"Have you heard from _him_ today? He hasn't arrived and I'm getting worried." I didn't specify who I was talking about, but Abigail knew it was about Luke.

"No, he was supposed to work all day. He was probably detained at work; you know how hospitals can be."

With her reassurance, I relaxed a little bit more. We kept talking lightly for a while and she complimented me in choosing the decorations. Soon, Élan appeared at my side and dragged me to the middle of the tent, to dance for a while.

I was having a great time, dancing with Élan and later with Dad and all the guys from the pack who asked me, but I wasn't fully happy as Luke wasn't still there.

Things got complicated when I was dancing with Matthew. Élan was at my side in an instance, looking at the tent's entrance.

"What?" I asked.

"Freddie's here," Élan said, his eyes not leaving a certain spot.

I followed his eyes and saw Freddie looking around, as if searching for someone. I had the thought of inviting him, but since I was with Luke, I decided not to as I didn't want to stir trouble. I knew Luke must have been mad that day he saw me with Freddie and I didn't want to make him upset again.

I told Matthew that I was going to be back in a few, and left to where Freddie was standing. Élan was the only one who followed me, but I could feel everyone's eyes on me—checking what I was up to—especially the members of the wolf pack.

"What are you doing here?" I asked Freddie before being completely in front of him. It enraged me how he stared at me from head to toes. I would have loved for him to look at me like that before—when Luke's presence wasn't that defined in my life—but now, I didn't like it at all.

"You look so gorgeous, even when you're mad," Freddie said, still eating me with his stare.

"What are you doing here?" I asked again. "I didn't invite you."

"I know—I was hanging with some friends and I remembered it was your birthday. So I decided to pay you a visit, only to find out you're having a party—a party I wasn't invited to." His tone went from friendly to bitter. I knew Freddie had a strong character, but he never showed it around me.

"I didn't invite you because, as you can see, only those who are close to me were invited."

"Oh, it's that so. I thought we were close," Freddie said. "At least we were, until you began to avoid me."

"I haven't avoided you. In case you didn't know, I was grounded," I said through gritted teeth. His presence was getting the better off me.

"Oh—in that case, no hard feelings. Right?" he said with the smile that used to make me mush. "You do look beautiful, you know?" He extended his arm and touched my face with gentle fingers.

"Freddie, don't," I whispered.

"Why," he said letting his hand drop. "You never minded this,"—he pointed to both of us—"what changed?"

I huffed loudly, looked at Élan who was still standing near, and said, "I guess I just wanted a serious relationship and that was never going to happen with you." I didn't want to give him any explanation that might point in the fact that I was already in love with someone else.

"Okay, I understand that. Another reason why I came here was because I wanted to talk to you. How about if after the party is over you sneak out and we can talk privately," he whispered, also looking at Élan.

"I can't." Freddie looked at me with skepticism—he knew if I wanted to sneak out I would do it without hesitation. I was never scared of breaking the rules, but in this case I would go behind Luke's back and I didn't want to do that.

"You have changed so much. If I wasn't seeing it, I wouldn't believe it." He chuckled and added, "If you change your mind, I'll be over at First Beach. Hopefully I'll see you later." Freddie leaned in and, before I could react, kissed me softly on the cheek.

I stood there and watched as my former crush left the tent. I was curious to what Freddie wanted to talk about; he was never a words person.

"What did he want?" Élan asked after he approached me. He had obviously not heard our conversation as the music was loud.

"Nothing important, he just wanted to talk," I said. Élan looked as he wanted more details, but I wasn't in the mood, so I excused myself and went inside the house with the pretext of having to use the bathroom.

Once inside the bathroom, I got my phone and dialed Luke's number. It was almost ten and the realization hit me hard—my stomach dropping in an uncomfortable way. Why wasn't he here?

Or answering his phone? Tears wanted to spill when I was sent into voicemail. How could the man who told me countless of times he loved me not be present on my birthday. I wanted to scream and cry like the fool I felt, but I held my feelings back as I didn't want to ruin my day any more.

I dried the few tears that escaped, fixed my makeup a little, and went outside to continue to pretend that I was having a great time.

Anyone who would look at me and didn't know me that well would believe I was the happiest girl, but those who knew me well noticed that I was miserable. Mom, Dad, and Élan kept an eye on me all night long—distracting me.

It was time to sing 'Happy Birthday' and blow the candles. The people who were still there surrounded the long table that held my gifts and the cake. The cake was pink with turquoise and purple flowers, sixteen candles went around it. I stood in front of it and waited with a fake smile for everyone to sing. Mom was all over the place, taking picture after picture, while Dad and Michal sang the loudest right next to me.

As I blew the candles, I closed my eyes and made a wish. I wished Luke would appear and make my night the happiest of my already lived life. I opened my eyes and disappointment engulfed me as my wish didn't come true—Luke was still nowhere to be seen.

After I opened some of the gifts—mostly I was given clothes or accessories— Dad insisted that I stepped outside. I didn't know what he had in mind, so I followed him without enthusiasm. I screeched with excitement went I saw, parked in our drive way, a blue Volkswagen Beetle. It was used and quiet old, but to me it was perfect. I wasn't expecting for Dad to give me a car for my birthday, as I hadn't been acting good, but there it was, my first car.

After giving Mom and Dad lots of hugs and kisses, I checked the car closely. I didn't care about the fancy stuff, all I cared about was that it would run and take me to places. Élan stood next to me checking all the mechanical aspects, every once in a while he would tell explain something to me about the motor, but I didn't pay attention as it didn't matter to me. I knew he was excited as me—we enjoyed riding his bike together, but having a car opened many doors to us.

Around midnight, everyone started to leave as it was getting late. The only ones remaining were Aunt Ami—Kaleb had left with the triplets as they were tired. Aunt Emily and Uncle Sam were also there, helping Mom with the cleaning. I saw them looking at me frequently, and I knew they were checking how I was reacting to Luke's absence. Élan wanted to stay a little longer, but he had to get up early as he was leaving to California for a week to visit some relatives from his mother's side.

I helped with the cleaning for a little bit and then told everyone I was tired and wanted to go to bed. The thrill of the party and frustration of Luke's nonattendance was draining me.

Once in my room, the anger I felt toward Luke intensified. He didn't have any excuse to not be present on my birthday.

Without thinking, I took off my dress and got on some jeans and a simple purple t-shirt—on top a dark blue sweater. I didn't like being stood-up and my blood was boiling with rage. Today was supposed to be the day that I got all I wanted, but Luke was nowhere to be seen.

I locked my door and went to the window. It had been a while since I got out of the house without Mom and Dad finding out. I was always thankful that near my window was a big oak tree—its long branches made a natural ladder. I always left my bike near the tree in case I needed to get away quick. I heard voices coming from the backyard and knew the coast was clear for me to leave. Hopefully Mom or Dad wouldn't check on me, trusting that I was already sleeping.

I wasn't thinking straight as I made my way to First Beach. I wasn't intending to have something with Freddie, but at the moment I needed to feel wanted.

When I got to the beach, it wasn't hard to find Freddie and his friends. They were at the parking lot, sitting inside the cars or at their hoods—hard rock was blasting from the speakers of a van. There was no light source, but the almost full moon was enough to at least let me see who was there.

"You came!" Freddie said as soon as he saw me.

"Yeah, I didn't have anything important to do," I said, looking close at who else was there. I recognized Freddie's usual friends and also some other kids from school.

We moved closer to the cars and I greeted those who I knew well. I sat on the hood of Freddie's car, trying to act comfortable, even though I wasn't feeling it. It was weird to have had changed in such short time, but this environment wasn't mine anymore. I would have preferred to be alone and in a quiet place with Luke.

"So, how was the party?" Freddie asked after a while, reaching into a cooler to retrieve a beer. He offered it to me but I rejected it. Once again he was shocked at the way I was acting, but didn't pressure me, instead offering me a Coke.

"It was good. Dad got me a car," I said, opening the Coke and taking a sip.

"Oh, that's great. What brand?"

I told him all about the car, mostly things Élan had explained to me. We talked for about fifteen minutes when something inside of me changed. It was a sort of pull and it was getting stronger by the second.

I got quiet and looked around me. The pull was coming from the mass of trees nearby. I felt as someone was watching me and as I stared at the area intently, I saw a pair of eyes gleaming in the moonlight.

Freddie noticed my eerie silence and started at where I was looking. "What is it?"

"Nothing," I said after the eyes had disappeared.

"You've been acting so weird. You're not drinking or dancing, and the weirdest part is you're not flirting with me. Are you sure you're not seeing someone else?" Freddie asked giving me again that smile that I used to love.

"What do you care if I'm seeing someone? It's not like we were ever something other than friends."

Freddie thought deeply before saying, "Do you want to take a walk? It's kind of loud here."

He was right, things were getting louder. The few people who were around were obviously getting drunk, talking loudly above the music.

I agreed and we left. We walked in silence—I couldn't stop looking over my shoulder as I felt as if someone was following us, but I couldn't see anyone. We arrived at a remote area that was covered in dry logs. I sat on one of them and looked at the beach. The waves were feral, crashing on the rocks with loud splashing sounds and to me it was a beautiful scene. Memories of when I was little and Luke used to bring me here invaded my thoughts. I remembered when we came and the tide was too high for me. Luke would leave me at the shore so he could surf for a while. I would clap when he rode a wave, and when he fell, I would laugh and squeal with excitement. Those were happy days where life was simple and I could be with Luke without any worries.

"Is it Élan?" Freddie asked suddenly, bringing me out of my thoughts. I looked at him confused as I didn't know what he was referring to. "The guy that you're seeing, is it Élan?"

I chuckled at his assumption. People immediately guessed that if I spent a lot of time with a boy only meant that I was his girlfriend.

"Élan is just my best friend. You know that," I said still chuckling.

"Things change, Sophie. People change, so does their feelings." I looked at Freddie at the used of those words. He sounded too solemn. He saw me looking at him and continued. "I might not be your type of boyfriend material, but I can change...Sophie you're an amazing girl."

I shivered not only because of the cold wind, but because Freddie's words were foreign to me. I wasn't expecting him to speak so deeply and talk about his feelings out loud. He was always the tough guy who didn't pursue a girl because they always threw themselves at him.

"Are you cold?" he asked me as he saw me shiver. He didn't wait for my answer as he removed his leather jacket and wrapped it around my shoulders. He sat next to me, his arm still around my shoulder. I could feel his hot breath—smelling of cigarettes and beer—near my cheek. I could feel him getting closer and before I could get away, he was snatched from my side. I stood up and looked around. Freddie was being held by the front of his shirt, his feet not touching the ground. Luke looked livid and he was shaking badly—his outline blurring.

I knew Luke could lose control at any minute and hurt Freddie badly, if he didn't end up killing him. I willed my body to move, but I was in shock. I'd never seen Luke so mad, not even the previous time he had found me with Freddie.

Freddie was trying, in vain, to get out of Luke's grasp. He was shouting obscenities and threatening him, but all Luke did was breathe hard without taking his eyes from Freddie.

I reacted when Freddie spit on Luke's face and I heard a deep growl come from within Luke's chest. I got off the log I was still sitting on and went to Luke's side. He was shaking Freddie hard, but I didn't know if it was because he wanted to hurt him, or his body was shaking out of control.

"Luke, calm down, please," I said with a small voice. "Let him go, you're going to hurt him and then regret it."

I placed my hand on his shoulder; not reacting to his extremely hot temperature, hotter than what he normally felt like. He looked at me and it was like he had just realized I was there. We kept looking at each other—everything else disappeared, even Freddie—until Luke relaxed a little and was able to let go of Freddie's limp form. Freddie slumped into the ground and after a few moments regained his composure and got up.

"What the hell is your problem," Freddie shouted. I was amazed that he dared to speak to Luke like that, knowing what just happened.

"I recommend for you to leave before I lose my temper and hurt you," Luke said with a menacing tone. He kept his eyes locked on mine.

From my peripheral vision I saw Freddie look at both of us for a while before leaving. I was still wearing his jacket. Luke saw it and yanked it from my shoulders.

"You forgot this," Luke said out loud to the retreating form of Freddie. Once again without breaking eye contact with me Luke threw the jacket at him.

When Freddie was finally gone, I lowered my eyes as I couldn't stare at Luke's deep ones that had so many emotions. I wanted to be mad at him as he was the one who didn't show up at my birthday and now was discarding my friends as if they were unacceptable. I raised my eyes again and looked at Luke with defiance. He should be the one giving me explanations and begging for forgiveness. I wasn't going to speak until he had done it first.

After a few moments in silence, just staring at each other, Luke finally spoke. "What were you thinking?" He spoke as if I was little child and didn't know anything about life. As if I deserved to be scolded.

I scoffed with frustration, turned around, and began to walk away. Strong hands grabbed my arm. I wanted to pull away, but the pressure Luke was inflicting on me was painful.

"Answer me the question, Sophie. What were you thinking sneaking out with that guy?" In that moment Luke was a stranger to me. His hard face was not the face I loved so much. His strong and harsh voice was unrecognizable in my ears. Even his touch was foreign to me.

Without thinking I tried to pull my arm away. By instincts Luke applied more pressure and I felt something crack.

"Ahhh!" I cried out in pain. A searing pain shot up through my whole arm. Luke released me but his trembling fingers tried to touch me again, this time tenderly.

"Don't touch me," I said through clenched teeth. I brought my arm to my chest and cradled it there. "I think it's broken."

"Oh God, I'm so sorry. Here let me see it." Again, Luke tried to touch my arm, but at the moment I didn't want any part of him close to me. For the first time I was truly afraid of Luke. "At least let me take you to the hospital."

I nodded. It wasn't like I had any other choice. I had arrived at the beach on my bike, which was probably still in the parking lot.

"I'll have to carry you and run. At least until we get to your house, that's where I left my car," Luke said. His voice was soft and I knew he was afraid of how I was going to react. Once again I just nodded and with caring arms he picked me up.

Once we were inside the woods, Luke running not that fast as he didn't want to jostle me too much and hurt me more, I asked him, "Were you watching me since I was in the parking lot with Freddie?"

Luke huffed in frustration at the mention of Freddie's name. "Yes, I was in my wolf form," he said. He knew I had seen him, but didn't give any sign that he wanted to continue the subject. Instead he asked me, "Did you have a good birthday?"

Anger rose again inside of me. "What do you care?"

"You have no idea the kind of day I've had," Luke said. I waited for him to explain, but in that moment we had reached my house. His car was parked a little away, something he did so my parents wouldn't know he was there.

"Do they know?" I asked. "I mean, do Mom and Dad know I sneaked out?"

"No…they were already asleep when I got here. I just looked inside your room and knew you weren't in the house. I followed your scent and found you with…" He didn't finish as he opened his car and placed me in the passenger seat, buckling me up.

We didn't speak again until we were on La Push Rd. I was the one who broke the silence. "You've never missed any of my birthdays. Why this one? You knew it was an important day to me. How could you—" I was sobbing as all the emotions came crashing on me.

Luke passed the back of his hand on my cheek and I calmed a little. But then I remembered I was supposed to be mad at him and got away from his touch. From the corner of my eye I saw him flinch.

"I'm sorry. But you need to hear my side of the story before getting mad at me," he said, taking deep breaths to calm himself. "When I got out of work, I was already late. I was almost out of the hospital when I was stopped by a nurse. Dr. Harris—my boss—had just received notice that one of his patients had a heart attack and they were bringing him to hospital for an emergency procedure. I tried to get out, but it was an important surgery and Dr. Harris wanted me specifically.

"God…I spent eight hour in the O.R. just thinking about _you_." He paused. "If I would have been a hundred percent on that surgery maybe the man would have lived." The last part was just a whisper, but I caught how hard Luke was taking the whole situation.

I'd never taken into consideration how much Luke did in his job, or how passionate he was about it. For me he was just a wolf pack member and I didn't see that he saved many lives by doing his job in the hospital. Losing a life must have been hard on him and here I was mad at him.

"I'm sorry. You're right, I don't have a reason to be mad," I said, looking out my window. We were almost at the hospital in Forks.

"Soph, I'm really sorry I missed your birthday and that I hurt you. It's just I was going to make it up to you only to find out you'd sneaked out of the house," he said caressing my cheek again. "And then I find you with that guy." He stopped touching me and gripped the steering wheel hard. I placed my good hand on his shoulder and applied pressure.

"I wasn't planning on doing something with Freddie. I was just so angry at you that I needed to get out of the house…even though I act stupid sometimes, I love you so much, Luke," I said looking at the side of his face. He didn't look at me, but a smile spread on his face and he reached over and grabbed my good hand.

Soon we arrived at the hospital. Thanks to Luke working there, I was checked quickly, and to no surprise, the doctor told me I had broken my Radius. When the cast was completely placed—I was glad that it was pink—and I was given some pain meds, Luke and I left.

Once in the parking lot, I started to think about what I was going to say to Mom and Dad. It wasn't like I could hide the cast. I asked Luke about it and he just told me to tell them the truth; that I had sneaked out.

"And should I tell them it was you who broke my arm?" I asked bitterly once we were on our way back.

"If you want. I deserve to be screamed at, too," he said.

"Don't be like that, please. Let's not blame no one, we both did something wrong." With that we fell into silent until we arrived first at the beach to pick up my bike and then to my house.

I was thinking about how to approach my parents and explain everything, but the task was taken from my hands. When Luke parked in front of the house, the porch light went on and Dad came out, followed by Mom. Dad's face was a mask of fury. I didn't dare look at Mom as I knew I was going to only see disappointment. Before getting out of the car I looked at Luke and reassured me with one of his warm stares.

"WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN?" Dad shouted as soon as I was out of the car, not caring that it was pretty late and the neighbors were asleep.

"I'll explain everything but can we move this inside," I said not meeting their eyes. Dad let out a loud huff but complied.

I couldn't stop thinking about how I had ruined things badly. Finally, Dad had forgiven me for my past wrongdoings and now I had taken that trust and thrown it away. He had even given me a car and I thanked him by sneaking out.

I knew that a lot of things were going to come out of this conversation. It was time to come clean and tell them what had been going on even if it meant being grounded again or worse.

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	23. Decisions

**A/N:** _Sorry I was gone for so long. I sort of lost the feel of the story so I had to sit down and start reading it again to capture again where I had left of. The problem of not having an specific time-line is that this can happen a lot. Anyways here is the next chapter and I'm introducing a new POV... Hope you enjoy it and please let me know what you think. I'll try to post the next one faster. _

_Lots of love and hopefully I still have the support of my readers. _

**Chapter 21: Decisions**

**Luke's POV**

It had only been a week but it felt like an eternity. Sophie was grounded and I wasn't allowed to see her for the remainder of summer break. She had called me the morning after that treacherous night and told me about her parents' agreement. At least she was permitted to call me, but even her calls were being monitored.

It felt as if we had taken a step forward but a few back. I understood Quil and Claire's reasons—they didn't want their daughter to grow too fast—but in my mind and heart they were being unfair. They knew how hard it was to be away from your imprint.

This whole week I distracted myself by going through a routine. My day started by going to work at the hospital, then patrols with the guys—now including Abigail—and in Ami's house. I realized that since Sophie's feelings evolved, I had been neglecting Amelia and the triplets.

Tonight I had planned on going to Ami's house to help her prepare the weekly dinner for the pack. The pack used to hag mostly around Mom and Dad's house, and later on Ami's house, but since she had the triplets and on top of that work and the Reservation duties, she decided to accept the pack only once a week. We usually ignored her and spent a lot of time there, but she only cooked for us once a week.

When I got there right after work, only Mathias and Thomas were there. The must have still been on patrol.

"Hello!" I called in general as soon as I got inside the house. I could hear everyone in the kitchen and living room.

"Hey, Uncle Luke," the triplets said at the same time when I stepped into the living room. Also in the room were Mathias, Thomas and his daughter, Carrie. Addison was sitting with her in a love-seat reading a magazine, while Daniel, Thomas and Mathias sat on the long sofa watching some sports news. Eli was sprawled on the floor reading his latest book—a thriller by the looks of the cover.

Just one look to Mathias told me he wasn't paying attention to the TV, but instead at Eli. Too often his eyes raked the small boy's body. I knew his thoughts were only as an older brother and he was only being overprotective. Eli was always the smallest of the three, making people believe he was the weakest.

"Hey, everyone," I greeted again. Daniel and Thomas only took their eyes from the TV for a split second, only to acknowledge my presence. Eli said a "What's up!" Mathias nodded his head—his eyes still on Eli—and the girls waved at me.

I didn't linger on the living room; instead I headed to the kitchen where I found Ami already preparing the food, Andy helping her by chopping some vegetables. I greeted them with a kiss on the cheek for each.

"I'm glad you finally arrived. There's so much to do," Ami said. "Go wash your hands and help me get the dough ready."She was making home-made cookies for dessert, something she had learned from my mom. Ami had never been a lover of the kitchen, but when she got into cooking, she did some delicious things.

"Where's Kaleb?" I asked as I washed my hands.

"He had to work today. Some guy got sick and Kaleb was the only one who could fill in on such short notice," Ami said, not taking her eyes off the pot she was stirring.

Soon the kitchen was full of various, delicious smells. Conversations flowed, but thanked God none went to Sophie or how I was feeling now that I was banned from the Ateara's house.

It was obvious when the rest of the pack arrived. They were so loud and raucous that if there were neighbors, they would have complained a lot. "God, it smells so good," Matthew shouted above all the babble. It always amused me to watch my pack brothers when we were all together in the same place. There was no competition or anyone trying to be better, we were a single body. Even as humans we were a pack of wolves, acting and moving as one. We all had different characteristics, but our way of acting made us look the same to anyone who saw us and didn't know us. It was uncanny.

Before long the whole house was full of loud noises and fast talk. We all kept trying to talk at the same time, making it harder to understand what was actually being said.

"Sophie says hello," Abigail said quietly into my era. We were moving the food outside where a long table had been set. I placed the salad on the table and faced her completely. My heart was skipping hard as I heard Sophie's name.

"When did you see her?" I began to edge away from the rest of the pack. There was no necessity to, as they could still hear us, but I wanted some privacy.

"This morning before starting patrol," Abby said, passing her hand through her hair, a custom she had gained from when her hair was longer. She had cut it very short recently, finally accepting the fact that it was easier to have it like that. "I went to leave some clothes over there. I'm staying with her for the rest of the weekend."

"So…is she okay?"

"Are _you_ okay?" she asked knowing how I felt was how Sophie was feeling. "The two of you act as if it's the end of the world. This imprinting stuff blinds you so bad." It sounded as if she didn't like the imprinting factor.

"Sophie is the only thing I can think of," I said with a faraway look. "You will understand it when it happens to you."

"It's not going to happen to me."Abigail had always been a strong, independent girl, and since she phased, those features became stronger. Hearing her say that made it sound as if it was possible to prevent the imprint, but we all knew—those who had imprinted—that it was uncontrollable and if it was meant to happen, nothing could stop it.

"Anyways," she continued as if she hadn't said what she said, "Sophie says that she misses you a lot and…" She paused like the next words were hard to say.

"What?" I asked, desperate to hear what my love had said.

"And that she loves you very much."

A goofy smile appeared on my face. I already knew that Sophie loved me, but it still made my heart flutter, even if the words were said by someone else.

Kaleb arrived soon after and we all sat on the long table to start dinner. Amelia kept hitting everyone with a spoon because we all wanted to grab everything at the same time. It was funny how we acted like the food was going to suddenly disappear. Ami had made food like for an army.

Even though I missed Sophie a lot and wished she was there, moments as those—just with the pack—were the ones that made me appreciate what I was.

That night I laid on my bed and amused myself by remembering how the day had gone. After dinner, we played a grueling game of tag until Jayson and Matthew "accidentally" broke the side fence as they tackled each other over it.

Before Abigail had left, I told gave her message for Sophie. Just the same she had told me and that soon we would see each other again. It was only two weeks and a half for school to start again. I hoped by then Quil would raise the punishment.

I drifted to sleep with images of Sophie and thoughts of how long two weeks were going to feel. I was suddenly awakened by the sound of a door closing. At first I thought I had dreamt it, but then I heard some shuffling coming from the living room. I concentrated harder and heard the heartbeat, a very recognizable sound.

Before I could get out of bed, the door to my bedroom opened and she came in. Sophie was only wearing a purple hoodie with jeans, but to me she was looking stunning.

No words were spoken immediately, instead she crawled into my bed and just cuddled on my side. My heart was beating too fast to be considered normal. Her perfect scents permeated every corner of my room, driving me crazy.

But reality invaded my brain and the magical sensation decreased a little.

"Soph, what are you doing here?" I asked, caressing her soft hair. Her head was resting on my chest, her warm breath tickling my skin.

"I needed to see you," she whispered, tightening her hold on me. My heart constricted with the idea of Sophie suffering because we couldn't see each other, but at the same time I relaxed as I had thought her appearance meant bad news.

"You shouldn't have. You can get into trouble and I don't want that. Not because of me." I knew I was ruining the moment, but Quil had reminded me that I was the adult and I should have been acting like one.

Sophie huffed loudly and sat on the bed, breaking the skin contact with me. I felt empty at once and quickly gathered her back into my arms, ignoring her slight resistance.

"You don't want me here."

"It's not that and you know it." I sounded too authoritative. "God…I've missed you so much that it hurts, but I don't want your parents to hate more that they already do. I don't want them to think that I'm making you grow too fast."

"But that's not the case…" Sophie tried to say, but I continued.

"I know, but I'm the adult here and I should act responsibly."

I didn't like the bitter feeling that was building in the pit of my stomach. I knew that I was hurting Sophie and it wasn't until I heard her sobs and felt her tears fall into my arm, that I told myself to screw everything else and just please my imprint.

"I just needed to be with you so badly and then Abby told me your message…"

I didn't let her finish, just kissed her hard and without barriers. I let her feel how much I also wanted and needed her. Like always, I got carried away and deepened the kiss until I heard Sophie moan. I broke it and realized that I had changed positions and was now on top of her. She whimpered because of the contact loss. Her eyes told me she wanted more.

"Luke, I'm not scared."

She didn't have to tell me what she was referring to, I understood perfectly since I was feeling the same. Her eyes got really dark with desire and I couldn't resist her anymore—her scent shadowing all my senses and thoughts.

In the back of my rational mind, I knew I should have thought things through, but I wanted to make the moment special for both of us. Memorize Sophie's body completely and drown in how much pleasure I caused her and she caused me.

I didn't want to compare the moment with anything, but as I laid awake after making love to Sophie, it was all I could do. I'd only been with one other woman before, Catlyn, and even though I couldn't remember clearly how it had felt, I knew the feeling couldn't be compared. With Sophie every nerve on my body was shockingly alive, bringing me a pleasure I'd never felt before.

Her tiny, exposed body rested on a deep sleep next to me. I admired her soft curves and how her flat stomach rose and fell with her profound breathing. She had fallen asleep immediately after we were done, her face showing adoration and complete bliss. Sophie looked exhausted in a good way.

I stayed awake haunted by the thought of if I had made the right thing. I had taken something precious from her, something that could never be replaced. She had given it to me willingly, but I still was scared that it was going to change everything completely or that I had made a mistake.

Sophie stirred on my side, bringing me out of my thoughts. She opened her eyes and gave me one of her impish smiles and only that gesture drove my worries away.

"How long was I out?" she asked, stretching. The blanket fell away, exposing more of her body. She waited for my answer but I was too enthralled in her body to think coherently. She saw what I was looking at and pulled the blankets up, covering her body completely.

I huffed loudly and let myself fall into the bed, pressing the palm of my hands into my eyes. "You have no idea what you do to me."

"I think I do," she said. I removed my hand from my face and saw that she was looking at my mid-section with wide eyes, raised eyebrows and her mouth was slightly open. There was an evident bulge barely covered by the blanket.

I groaned, half laughed getting on my side while I brought Sophie closer to me. "I love you." I breathed in her scent and pressed myself harder against her, letting her feel how she made my body react.

Instead of following the mood, Sophie began to giggle. "As much as I want to continue this, it's getting late and I have to get back before Dad wakes up."

"God, I hate it when you're right," I complained, releasing her from my grip. I remembered something and said, "How did you got here?"

"I drove," she said as if it was the obvious answer.

"Sophie, you don't have a driver's license," I reminded her. Quil had given her a car for her birthday with the intention of starting to give her lessons. Of course I had given a few lessons before, but nothing too serious.

"I know, but I needed to see you," she said. "Besides, nothing bad happened, I got here unscratched." She batted her eyelashes, knowing I couldn't be mad at her for long, especially not after what had happened tonight.

We got dressed in silence, stealing glances from each other's bodies before they were covered with clothes. I decided to take Sophie back in her car and run back to my apartment in wolf form.

As I ran, I relived everything that had happened. I knew that it was impossible to feel any happier. It was as if my heart was going to burst any second. I got back to my apartment and for the first time in years I slept with full contentment and knowing that finally my life was getting to the point where it belonged.

* * *

**Abigail's POV**

I woke up by Sophie's attempts on being quiet while she climbed through the open window. She was getting back from visiting Luke and she didn't have to tell me what had happened for me to know. Luke's scent was all over her—the scent of sex and sweat.

"You better take a shower, unless you want your dad to smell Luke all over you," I said once she had the window closed.

Sophie faced me with big eyes, a tinge of red coloring her cheeks. She looked the same but the way she held herself was different—more confident. I guess you gained that by losing your virginity with the love of your life.

Without saying a word, she gathered her pajamas and left the room. While Sophie took the shower, I lay in bed and thought about _my_ first time. I thought I was going to lose my virginity and nothing was going to change, but after it, everything happened. Because of it I phased for the first time.

* * *

My boyfriend Zack had broken up with me. It wasn't like I was in love with him, but I really liked him—he was gentle and passionate and taught me how to be like that, but I guess I wasn't what he was looking for. Also, I guess he didn't like how my body was growing, not in a bad way, I was just getting toned. I hadn't given it a lot of thought until he mentioned I wasn't his type. That's when I started to realize I was changing. My body didn't feel the same and every day I felt taller and stronger.

I needed to talk to someone and thankfully that same day was Ami's and Kaleb's wedding anniversary. I wanted to talk to my mom, but I was afraid of what she was going to say to me. At the party I mentioned my changes to Sophie and Élan but they just didn't know what to say, they couldn't relate to something that wasn't happening to them. I didn't mention my breakup with Zack; I just wanted to get out of there.

That night after the party, I couldn't fall asleep. I had too many thoughts and I needed to find a way to clear my head. I sneaked out of my house with the intention of paying Élan a nightly visit. He was always a good listener but when I got to his house I realized I didn't want to talk. I didn't want someone looking at me with worried eyes.

I ran and ran, until I found myself in the old fishing harbor. Only a few boats could be seen, most of them broken down. I sat on the boardwalk and just thought about nothing while looking at the faint silhouette of James Island.

I was startled by approaching footsteps. I turned around and faced the last person I was expecting to see.

"Are you okay?" Freddie asked, eyeing me carefully and keeping his distance.

_Do I look that bad? _I thought.

"Yeah, just needed some fresh air," I said facing forward again.

I felt him move, and after a few seconds, he sat next to me. "Do you want to talk?" he asked and as I didn't answer he continued, "I usually come here to get out. You know, parents expect a lot from you and when you don't deliver…"

In another situation I would have told him I didn't want to hear his pathetic life story, but at the moment it was helping me achieve my goal. When I looked at my life from another perspective, there was nothing that should have created such a reaction from me. I didn't know why I was so emotional lately, always on the brink of losing my temper.

"Do you want to go for a walk?" Freddie asked, realizing I wasn't listening to his monologue. As I didn't answer he continued, "There is this place nearby that helps me relax. I don't know what is wrong with you, but it looks like you need some time to just relax."

I chuckled, something that felt awkward at the moment.

"Okay."

Freddie got up and helped me by offering his hand. He didn't release my hand as we started to walk. It was weird but it didn't seem to bother me. We walked for minutes in silence; just the sound of our footsteps and the occasional owl hoot could be heard. It was an eerily quiet night, not even the wind through the leaves could be heard.

Soon we arrived at the other end of the harbor. Here most of the boats were still on working conditions. Freddie pulled me to the nearest boat and when we got closer, I stopped him by pulling my hand.

"Where are we going?" I asked, trying to keep the hesitation out of my voice.

"This is my dad's fishing boat," he said as it was very obvious. "There is this perfect spot near James Island where you can see the harbor and First Beach…it's amazing and I always wanted to show it to someone."

"I bet that someone was Sophie," I said before I could stop myself.

Freddie chuckled but didn't say anything about it; instead he pointed to the boat and said, "So, what do you say?"

I thought about it for a while and decided I didn't have anything better to do. Like a gentleman, Freddie helped me into the small boat and after a few minutes we were on our way. Because the boat wasn't that big it only had one sitting area. While Freddie steered the boat, I sat on the small bench and looked as everything sped around me.

When we got to our destination, I realized that he was right, the view was something to appreciate: the mild glow coming from the houses was enough to illuminate the beach and harbor. The moon and stars were reflected on the surface of the water, making everything twinkle. Soon Freddie stopped the engine and silence engulfed us. I could feel him near me, breathing deeply.

"You're beautiful, you know." I jumped a little because he was closer than I thought. He sat on my side and faced me.

"Not like Sophie," I said, sounding more bitterly than I should have. The thought that Sophie was more beautiful was always in the back of my mind and I always made sure it didn't bother me, but it sometimes made its appearance making me feel guilty afterwards. She was my best friend and I didn't want that to change ever.

"Is that what you think?" He chuckled in a sexy way. I saw in that moment what every girl saw in him—handsome, confident and most of all very secure of his actions. "Well, Sophie isn't the one here with me. She's not the one I brought to see this amazing view."

With each word Freddie got closer until he was just inches from me. I could feel his hot breath on my face and it made me shiver. The night was cold but that wasn't what made my body react that way.

"Are you cold?" Freddie asked. He didn't wait for my response; instead he quickly removed his light jacket and placed it around my shoulders. Freddie didn't remove his hands from my shoulders and very slowly got even closer.

"You can stop me whenever you want," he said before closing the remaining distance. At first I didn't respond to the kiss but he knew what he was doing and I couldn't resist anymore. His lips were warm and very full, but the best part was how he wrapped them around mine.

Before long, things became too heated and I had to break the kiss to catch my breath. Freddie didn't stop to kiss me, moving to my neck while his hands roamed from my lower back to my hips.

I wasn't planning on letting things get carried away, but when Freddie captured my lips once again I stopped thinking altogether. Very slowly he changed positions, getting on top of me while I laid on the bench. Luckily it was cushioned or it would have been very uncomfortable.

"Mmm…you taste good," Freddie said between kisses.

"Are we going to…?" I had to ask. I needed to know if I was really that desirable and Zach had made a huge mistake in dumping me.

"Like I said before, you can stop me whenever you want," Freddie said as he raised himself by planting his hands on the bench on either side of my head. "And besides, do you really need to ask? My body can tell you what I want," he whispered on my ear, pressing himself harder on me. He was hard and his eyes showed me how much he wanted me. I just nodded and resumed the kissing.

When I got home almost at dawn, Mom was waiting for me in my room. She wasn't phasing anymore but she still had some of the wolf traits—for example the keen sense of smell. She knew that I had been with a boy and what we had done.

She didn't yell at me or said ugly words, but just the look of disappointment triggered the phase. The phase was very painful when your mind was not in the right place. The shame and guilt I was feeling haunted me until I thought I was going insane.

Thankfully Mom was there and called Ami immediately. She phased and, with the help of the rest of the pack, explained to me what had happened. Since that day I told myself that I wasn't going to make such rash decisions as to sleep with a guy I barely knew just because I wanted to feel desirable. I wasn't going to let anyone dictate my actions, the reason why I didn't want to imprint. I didn't want my decisions to be shadowed by the pull your imprint had on you.

* * *

"Hey, where did you go," Sophie whispered, driving me out of my thoughts. She smelled strongly of cinnamon, her favorite shampoo. "I've been standing here for almost a minute and you're just laying there with a distant look."

"Sorry…I've just been thinking about how much life can change by an action." I didn't give any more explanations, instead changed the subject by asking Sophie what exactly had happened.

We talked for a long time, Sophie telling me with a lot of details what she had done with Luke and how it felt. I was envious that my first time wasn't that magical or intimate.

We fell asleep almost at dawn only to be woken up an hour later by Ami's loud howl. It didn't sound as an emergency, but very urgent. Quietly, I untangled myself from the bed-sheets without waking Sophie up. I had fallen asleep on the bed with her.

Once outside and on the edge of the forest, I took my clothes off, tied them around my leg, and phased. Right away I was assaulted by a new mind and what I didn't know was that after that morning my life was going to take another drastic change.

* * *

***So who do you think this new mind is? **


	24. AN

A/N: Everyone might be wondering what is going to happen with this fic and I will be sincere and tell you that it will be on hiatus for while. I realized that in the last chapters I took a course I didn't want to take and now I'm trying to fix it. Sophie became a character I didn't want to be and if I have to rewrite the last chapters to fix it, I will. I'm only human and its natural to make mistakes. I'm already working with my beta and while she edits the grammar mistakes I'm fixing all those little mistakes that made me stray from the path.

Please be patient with me and don't forget about my fic. Don't leave a comment on this A/N as I'm going to erase it as soon as I continue with the chapters. In the meantime you can reread Hidden Truth as I already posted the edited and fixed chapters. If you want to give me words of encouragement or some advice, let me know through a PM.

Thanks to everyone!


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